India, May 17 -- A wave of pre-election political violence has pushed Colombia to the verge of destabilisation, following the targeted assassinations of a prominent former mayor and presidential campaign staffer.

With the country's highly polarised presidential elections looming, heavily armed criminal syndicates and dissident rebel factions escalated their attacks against political figures, turning the democratic race into a deadly battlefield.

The latest string of killings has sent shockwaves through the Andean nation, prompting frantic calls from international human rights watchdogs and domestic authorities for an immediate, sweeping overhaul of candidate security protocols before the first round of voting begins.

According to The A...