Two Espriella Campaign Aides Killed in Colombia 15 Days Before Vote
Key Facts
—The killing: Rogers Mauricio Devia Escobar, 42, former mayor of Cubarral (2020-2023) and local coordinator for Abelardo de la Espriella’s presidential campaign, and Eder Fabián Cardona, former municipal Secretary of Government, were shot dead Friday night in a rural zone of Cubarral, Meta department.
—The method: Four armed men on motorcycles ambushed them after they collected campaign materials in Villavicencio, the Meta capital, according to the De la Espriella campaign.
—The third attack: The same day in Cubarral, Julián Cardona, a Centro Democrático former mayoral candidate, survived a separate rifle-fire attack on his vehicle. The Defensoría del Pueblo confirmed both incidents.
—The reward: Meta Governor Rafaela Cortés announced a $12,000 (50 million Colombian pesos) reward for information leading to the killers.
—The political timing: The attacks come 15 days before Colombia’s May 31 presidential first round, in which De la Espriella sits second behind Iván Cepeda. The incidents follow the May 7 killing of Mileidy Villada González, a Centro Democrático councillor in Obando, Valle del Cauca.
Friday night in Cubarral was not one attack. It was three. A Defensores de la Patria coordinator and his aide killed by gunmen on motorcycles. A Centro Democrático former candidate ambushed with rifle fire that hit his vehicle. The pattern is a systematic targeting of Colombia’s regional opposition structure two weeks before a presidential vote.
What happened in Cubarral
Rogers Mauricio Devia Escobar, 42, served as mayor of Cubarral from 2020 to 2023 and was the local coordinator for De la Espriella’s campaign. Eder Fabián Cardona was the former Secretary of Government of the same municipality. The two were returning from Villavicencio on Friday evening after collecting campaign materials when four men on motorcycles intercepted their vehicle and opened fire. Both died at the scene. The Rio Times, the Latin American financial news outlet, reports that the campaign described Devia as “an enthusiastic, committed, and tireless worker for this political cause” in a statement issued by Jaime Andrés Beltrán, the campaign’s national regional manager.
The same day, in the same municipality, Julián Cardona, a former mayoral candidate for the right-wing Centro Democrático, survived a separate attack when gunmen opened fire with rifles on his vehicle. He was uninjured. The Defensoría del Pueblo, Colombia’s national ombudsman, confirmed both incidents in an official statement and warned that the attacks “gravely affect the exercise of political rights and democratic participation in the territories.”
What De la Espriella said
De la Espriella, who polls second behind Iván Cepeda heading into the May 31 first round, attributed the attack to “the terrorism of always” and named the FARC dissident groups operating in the Meta region. On X, he wrote: “Today we mourn Rogers Mauricio Devia and Fabián Cardona, two patriots cowardly murdered by narcoterrorism while carrying the banner of this campaign and the dream of a different Colombia. They were not desk politicians. Their only crime was to believe in the homeland and not kneel before the violent.”
The Procuraduría, Colombia’s public prosecutor’s office, condemned the killing and demanded that authorities “clarify the facts and guarantee the security of all political actors within the framework of the electoral process.” The same office had issued an identical demand after the May 7 killing of Mileidy Villada González, the Centro Democrático councillor murdered by hitmen in Obando, Valle del Cauca. Opposition leaders had already denounced the lack of security guarantees for regional leaders before Friday’s incidents.
The pattern of opposition targeting
| Date | Victim | Affiliation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7 | Mileidy Villada González (killed) | Centro Democrático councillor | Obando, Valle del Cauca |
| May 15 | Rogers Devia + Eder Cardona (killed) | De la Espriella coordinator + aide | Cubarral, Meta |
| May 15 | Julián Cardona (survived) | Centro Democrático former candidate | Cubarral, Meta |
Three opposition political figures attacked in nine days, across two departments, with two killed and one survivor. The Defensoría del Pueblo had documented 35 threats against candidates in the run-up to the vote even before Friday’s incidents.
What investors and analysts watch
- Election-security response. Whether the government deploys additional protection for opposition candidates and their regional teams before May 31 is the most immediate test of state capacity.
- FARC dissident attribution. If authorities confirm De la Espriella‘s claim that FARC dissidents executed the attack, the Paz Total framework faces a fresh credibility crisis.
- Polling impact. Whether the violence narrows the gap between Cepeda and De la Espriella in the next AtlasIntel and Invamer readings.
- Washington reaction. US Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) has already publicly denounced the violence. Further US engagement could shape the May 31 observation framework.
Connected Coverage
This story extends our Colombia 2026 election cluster. The wider race dynamics sit in our 2026 deep analysis pillar. The right-wing split is detailed in our right-wing split readout. The polling map sits in our candidate polling tracker. The election-security crisis frame is in our restricted-vote analysis. The Calarcá-Guaviare military incident sits in our Guaviare attack readout.
Reported by The Rio Times — Latin American financial news. Filed May 17, 2026.
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