Two Members of Right-Wing Candidate's Team Killed Ahead of Colombian Presidential Election

Just two weeks before Colombia's presidential election, the party of right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella announced that two of his campaign members were killed in the southeastern province of Meta. The party, 'Defenders of the Homeland,' stated that team members Rogers Mauricio Devia and Fabian Cardona were intercepted and shot by four masked men on motorcycles in a rural area of Cubarral, Meta, last night. Devia, a former mayor of Cubarral, was coordinating De La Espriella's campaign in the area, while Cardona assisted with logistics. The two were traveling on a motorcycle from Villavicencio with campaign promotional materials when the incident occurred. In a video statement, De La Espriella condemned the act, stating, 'They were cruelly and cold-bloodedly murdered.' While authorities have not yet identified the group behind the attack, De La Espriella's statement pointed the finger at former FARC dissidents, though he did not provide specific evidence. The presidential election is set for May 31, with De La Espriella currently second in the polls, behind left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda. If no candidate receives more than 50% in the first round, a second-round runoff between the top two candidates will be held on June 21.