Violence Escalates in Colombia as Presidential Election Nears

In Colombia, violence is rising again just as the country heads into a new electoral cycle. Conflict‑monitoring group ACLED reports that incidents of political and criminal violence have increased, particularly in the southwest, where armed groups are competing for control of drug routes and territory. Colombia's presidential election is slated for Sunday, May 31, 2026.

Just three weeks ago a "spate of attacks against civilians and military bases" in departments like Cauca and Valle del Cauca took place including at least 26 explosive and drone attacks and a bombing on the highway between Cali and Popayán which killed more than 20 people.

Over the weekend, two staff members from a presidential campaign were shot dead in the central department of Meta.

Right‑wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed that armed men on motorcycles attacked his team on Friday night, killing Rogers Maur Devia, a former mayor of Cubarral, and his adviser Eder Fabián Cardona López. Colombia's human‑rights ombudsman warned that these killings—and a separate attack against another former mayoral candidate in the area—could undermine "the exercise of political rights and democratic participation" ahead of the May 31 election.

At least three presidential candidates have reported receiving death threats, and several are now moving with heavy security details. The recent murders echo a long history of political assassinations in Colombia, but they come at a particularly fragile moment, when President Gustavo Petro's "Total Peace" policy is under pressure, and multiple armed groups are jockeying for leverage in negotiations and territory.

These attacks, involving dissident FARC factions and criminal organizations, are raising fears that public security and crime will dominate Colombia's coming presidential campaign and could suppress participation in areas already scarred by conflict. For Colombian families abroad—including many now living in the U.S.—this renewed violence brings back memories of earlier waves of displacement.