Two Staffers for Colombian Candidate De la Espriella Killed in Meta

Overview

• Two members of Abelardo de la Espriella’s presidential campaign were shot dead in Meta in an ambush that took place Friday night near the rural town of Cubarral, according to authorities and the campaign.
• Local coordinator Rogers Mauricio Devia, a former mayor of Cubarral, and aide Eder Fabián Cardona were intercepted by four armed men on motorcycles as they returned from Villavicencio with campaign materials.
• Police have not assigned blame to any armed group, while De la Espriella accused dissident factions of the former FARC rebels without presenting evidence.
• The Public Defender’s Office said the killings in an election period threaten political rights, as leading candidates report death threats and continue to campaign under heavy security.
• Meta is a long-contested zone where guerrilla factions and cocaine routes overlap, and police figures cited in recent reporting show coca cultivation rose between mid‑2022 and the end of 2025.