How did these audios end up converted into such a campaign?
En las últimas semanas antes de las elecciones presidenciales colombianas del 31 de mayo, la muerte de Rogers Devia —coordinador de campaña y exalcalde de Cubarral— a manos de desconocidos en Meta recuerda que la democracia, en ciertos territorios, se ejerce bajo amenaza de muerte. Su asesinato no es un hecho aislado, sino el punto más visible de una tormenta que combina audios manipulados, acusaciones de espionaje y una atmósfera de desconfianza que pone a prueba la capacidad del país para celebrar comicios legítimos. Colombia se acerca a las urnas cargando, una vez más, el peso de su historia.
- Rogers Devia fue asesinado junto a un acompañante mientras regresaba a Cubarral tras recoger material de campaña en Villavicencio, convirtiendo una noche electoral ordinaria en tragedia.
- La gobernadora de Meta activó de inmediato un plan de confinamiento y un consejo de seguridad de emergencia, intentando contener tanto la violencia como los rumores que se dispararon en redes sociales.
- Semanas de acusaciones contra el candidato Iván Cepeda se derrumbaron cuando el Ministerio de Defensa confirmó que el audio supuestamente de un comandante disidente de las FARC pertenece en realidad a un extorsionista preso en Tolima.
- Cepeda exigió retractaciones públicas a todos los candidatos y medios que difundieron las grabaciones, mientras el ambiente político se envenena con denuncias de hackeos, infiltraciones y campañas de desinformación.
- A menos de dos semanas del 31 de mayo, el presidente Petro convocó a las 309 misiones de observación internacional acreditadas para reforzar la vigilancia sobre el software electoral y la seguridad del proceso.
Rogers Devia conducía de noche hacia Cubarral cuando fue atacado y asesinado. Había pasado el día recogiendo material de campaña en Villavicencio para Abelardo de la Espriella, candidato de ultraderecha a la presidencia de Colombia. Un acompañante también perdió la vida en el ataque. El coordinador regional de la campaña lo despidió en redes sociales como un trabajador incansable y comprometido con su gente en Meta.
La gobernadora Rafaela Cortés reaccionó esa misma noche con un comunicado de solidaridad, señalando que Cubarral había sido golpeada dos veces en pocas horas por hechos igualmente lamentables aunque sin relación aparente. Activó un plan de confinamiento, desplegó uniformados en la zona del ataque y salió al paso de rumores sobre enfrentamientos entre grupos armados y el ejército.
El asesinato se produce en medio de otro escándalo que lleva semanas sacudiendo la campaña: unos audios en los que una voz supuestamente perteneciente al comandante disidente de las FARC Rogelio Benavides expresaba preferencia por el candidato de izquierda Iván Cepeda. Múltiples candidatos usaron las grabaciones para acusar a Cepeda de contar con el respaldo de grupos armados. Pero el viernes, el ministro de Defensa Pedro Sánchez anunció que la voz pertenece a un extorsionista encarcelado en La Picaleña, Tolima, y no al guerrillero. Desde Pasto, Cepeda exigió retractaciones públicas de todos quienes amplificaron el falso audio.
El clima político no da tregua. Paloma Valencia denunció la interceptación de su teléfono. La campaña de De la Espriella aseguró haber frustrado un intento de asesinato contra el candidato en Envigado. El propio De la Espriella enfrenta críticas generalizadas por comentarios sexistas hacia periodistas. Con todo esto como telón de fondo, el presidente Gustavo Petro convocó a las 309 misiones de observación internacional acreditadas para revisar la seguridad del proceso antes del 31 de mayo. La pregunta que flota sobre Colombia es si la violencia y el caos seguirán escalando en la recta final hacia las urnas.
Rogers Devia was driving home through the dark when someone shot him dead. It was Friday night, and he had spent the day collecting campaign materials in Villavicencio for Abelardo de la Espriella, the far-right candidate running for president of Colombia. Devia, a former mayor of Cubarral in Meta state, never made it back to his municipality. A companion traveling with him was also killed in the attack.
The assassination landed like a stone into already turbulent water. Colombia's presidential election is scheduled for May 31, less than two weeks away, and the country is convulsing with accusations of interference, disinformation, and violence. Jaime Andrés Beltrán, the national regional manager for De la Espriella's campaign, confirmed the killing on social media, describing Devia as "an enthusiast, committed and tireless worker" for the cause. "Today he was collecting publicity in Villavicencio and when he arrived at his municipality he was attacked by unknowns," Beltrán wrote. "Total rejection of this vile act against a young man full of desire to work for his people in Meta."
Rafaela Cortés, the governor of Meta, issued her own statement that same night. She expressed solidarity with Devia's family and the community of Cubarral, noting grimly that the municipality had been "struck today on two occasions, without apparent relation, but equally lamentable." She announced an emergency security council and activated what she called a "lockdown plan"—deploying uniformed officers to the attack zone and restricting movement. Minutes later, she confirmed that the companion who died had been wounded in the initial assault. She also moved quickly to deny rumors circulating online about supposed clashes between guerrilla groups and the military.
The killing arrives amid a separate firestorm over leaked audio recordings that have roiled the campaign for weeks. In the tapes, a voice purporting to belong to a FARC dissident commander named Rogelio Benavides expresses a preference for leftist candidate Iván Cepeda to win. "I hope the comrade Cepeda wins," the voice says. "Then we're going to squeeze things for another four years." The recordings have been widely distributed to media outlets and cited by multiple candidates as evidence that armed groups are pressuring voters to support Cepeda's campaign.
But on Friday, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that investigators had determined the voice in the audio does not belong to Benavides at all. Instead, it belongs to an extortionist currently imprisoned in La Picaleña jail in Tolima state. The finding undercuts weeks of accusations that have shadowed Cepeda's campaign. From the city of Pasto, Cepeda demanded that all the candidates who amplified the false audio—including Álvaro Uribe, Paloma Valencia, Abelardo de la Espriella, Claudia López, Sergio Fajardo, and others—issue public retractions. He also called on media outlets that distributed the recordings to correct the record. "How did these audios end up converted into such a campaign?" he asked, his frustration evident. "Montages of all kinds have been made against us."
The atmosphere in Colombian politics has grown increasingly toxic. Candidates are accusing one another of dirty tricks, hacking, and conspiracy. Valencia claimed her phone was being intercepted and that her security-related messages had fallen into someone's hands. De la Espriella's campaign announced that security personnel had thwarted what they described as an assassination attempt against the candidate in Envigado, Antioquia, involving a man posing as part of the security detail who was carrying weapons and surveillance equipment. De la Espriella himself has faced withering criticism for sexist comments made to female journalists in recent interviews—remarks that prompted condemnations from across the political spectrum and apologies that many viewed as insufficient.
With the election less than two weeks away, President Gustavo Petro has convened all 309 international observer missions accredited to monitor the vote. The gathering will focus on electoral software and security concerns. The killing of Devia, combined with the audio scandal, the hacking allegations, and the disinformation campaigns swirling through social media, has cast a shadow over what was already shaping up to be one of Colombia's most contentious elections in recent memory. The question now is whether the violence and chaos will continue to escalate in the final stretch before voters go to the polls.
Citações Notáveis
Roger was an enthusiast, committed and tireless worker for this cause. Today he was collecting publicity in Villavicencio and when he arrived at his municipality he was attacked by unknowns.— Jaime Andrés Beltrán, national regional manager of De la Espriella's campaign
Montages of all kinds have been made against us. How did these audios end up converted into such a campaign?— Iván Cepeda, leftist presidential candidate
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a campaign coordinator's death matter so much in this moment? Isn't political violence in Colombia something that happens regularly?
It does happen, but the timing here is everything. We're ten days from a presidential election, and the killing of someone actively working for a candidate sends a message—whether intended or not—that the campaign trail itself is no longer safe. It raises the stakes for everyone running.
And the audio recordings—the ones about the FARC dissidents supposedly backing Cepeda. That seems like it should be a huge scandal for his campaign.
It was. For weeks, candidates were using those tapes to argue that armed groups were manipulating the election in Cepeda's favor. But then the Defense Ministry said the voice wasn't even from a guerrilla commander—it was from a prisoner in jail. That completely changes the narrative, but by then the damage was done. Millions of people had already heard the accusation.
So Cepeda is demanding retractions from everyone who spread it?
Yes, and he's right to. But in an election this close and this chaotic, a retraction doesn't undo what people already believe. The lie travels faster and farther than the correction ever will.
What about the other candidates? Are they all accusing each other of the same kinds of things?
Pretty much. De la Espriella claims someone tried to assassinate him. Valencia says her phone is being hacked. There are accusations of fake social media accounts spreading disinformation about candidates' families. It's a spiral—each accusation breeds more suspicion, more counter-accusations.
And the international observers—why is Petro bringing them in now?
Because the system is breaking down. When a sitting president has to call in the world to watch his own election, it's a sign that trust in the institutions has eroded. He wants witnesses. He wants accountability. He wants the world to see what happens on May 31.