Kidnappings and conservatives who defend minimum wage rises: Unpredictability defines the campaign in Colombia

"A kidnapping on a mountainous road in southwestern Colombia on Tuesday served as a stark reminder that in this country, no one is truly safe. The victims were the Indigenous Senator Aida Quilcue and her security detail. A group of armed men intercepted their vehicle and made them disappear for hours. All levels of law enforcement were sent out to find them, and they re-emerged alive."

"If a senator with bodyguards can be erased from the map, even for just a few hours, what hope is there for those without a well-known name or protection? It happened right in the middle of the campaign. There's less than a month to go before the legislative elections on March 8, and three months until the first round of the presidential election."

"The data confirms this feeling. With the elections approaching, 170 of the country's 1,100 municipalities present some level of risk, according to the Electoral Observation Mission. In 81 of them, including the capital, Bogota, the risk is extreme. Armed control of the territory. Targeted violence against leaders, journalists and candidates. Open confrontations. Humanitarian crises that, in practice, exclude entire populations from the democratic process."

Armed groups and pervasive insecurity are disrupting daily life and undermining electoral processes across Colombia. An Indigenous senator and her security detail were kidnapped for hours on a mountainous road, prompting a nationwide law-enforcement response and illustrating that even protected public figures face serious danger. Recent attacks include guerrillas machine-gunning a security detail and posting footage, and arson against a presidential candidate's billboards. Election observers report 170 of 1,100 municipalities face risk, with 81 classified as extreme, including Bogota. Violence includes territorial armed control, targeted killings of leaders and journalists, open confrontations, and humanitarian crises that exclude populations from democratic participation.

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