Gunmen Shot Dead Former Mayor Rogers Devia And Aide Eder Cardona In Cubarral, Colombia

Gunmen shot dead former mayor Rogers Devia and his staffer Eder Cardona in the rural area of Cubarral in Colombia’s department of Meta, local authorities said Saturday.

“Two presidential campaign staffers have been killed in Colombia just two weeks before the South American country heads to the polls”

Al Jazeera

The Public Defender’s Office of the department of Meta said Devia died in an attack by gunmen in Cubarral, a city he governed between 2020 and 2023, lying 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of the capital Bogota.

Al Jazeera

The killings were described as the latest incident of political violence in a region under dispute by two groups labeled as terrorists by the U.S. government and a third group, a splinter of the once dominant guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Colombia’s presidential elections are scheduled for May 31, and the Public Defender’s Office said the killings could hurt the “exercise of political rights and democratic participation” ahead of the vote.

CBS News also reported that De La Espriella represents the National Salvation Movement, and that investigators do not know why Devia was attacked, citing Interior Minister Armando Benedetti’s comments on social media.

Al Jazeera reported that right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella announced the killings, saying gunmen on motorbikes shot the victims in the central department of Meta on Friday night.

In a post on X, de la Espriella said the two staffers “walked the streets defending democracy, freedom, and the hope of millions of Colombians”.

CBS News

The citizens’ rights ombudsman for Colombia identified the slain men as Rogers Mauricio Devia Escoba, a former mayor for the city of Cubarral, and his adviser Eder Fabian Cardona Lopez.

The ombudsman warned that the attacks could affect the “exercise of political rights and democratic participation” in the upcoming election on May 31.

Conflits framed Colombia’s political violence as a long-running pattern, noting that “Since 2016, 75 candidates have been murdered in Colombia” and that the June 7 rally shooting of Miguel Uribe Turbay ended with his death on August 11.

Al Jazeera said Meta has long been a stronghold for both rebel fighters and cocaine trafficking, and that violence and surging crime have featured prominently in the presidential race to replace Gustavo Petro.

“Since 2016, 75 candidates have been murdered in Colombia”

Conflits

Polls cited by Al Jazeera showed De la Espriella polling in second with more than 20 percent of voter support, followed by centre-right Senator Paloma Valencia, while left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda was going into the first round with between 37 and 40 percent support.

Al Jazeera also reported that a total of 14 candidates were registered for the presidential race as of March, and that at least three candidates have reported receiving death threats.

Conflits described how electoral violence mainly affects local levels such as mayors and municipal councilors, and it cited the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) documenting 436 acts of violence against political leaders as of September 29, 2023.

It added that from January to April 2025, the MOE recorded 128 acts of violence against political, social, and community leaders, including 34 homicides and 20 attacks, underscoring the risk to candidates as Colombia heads toward the May 31 vote.