Two campaign staffers working for a right-wing candidate in Colombia's upcoming presidential election were shot and killed by gunmen on motorcycles. The killings occurred Friday night in the central-west Meta Department, a region known for rebel activity and cocaine trafficking. The candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella, confirmed the attack.
The murders come weeks before the May 31 election to replace Colombia's first leftist president, Gustavo Petro. Security has become a central issue amid a wave of killings and rebel attacks. De la Espriella and two other major candidates, including leftist front-runner Ivan Cepeda, have reported death threats and now travel with heavy security.
In February, Cepeda's vice presidential running mate was briefly kidnapped by rebels who rejected the 2016 peace accord with the former FARC guerrilla army. Last year, presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe was killed at a campaign rally. The government's ombudsman warned that such violence seriously undermines the electoral process.