Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe paid tribute on Saturday to Miguel Uribe Turbay, a presidential hopeful who was shot and killed while campaigning in Bogotá. At the park where the 39-year-old politician was gunned down, the former president called for a stronger security crackdown as violence continues to surge nationwide.
Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was not related to the former president but belonged to the same political party, died in August after spending two months in intensive care. His assassination, the first of a presidential candidate in three decades, has shocked the country and reignited a national debate on how to prevent the conflict from returning ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
“May this place symbolize an eternal flame, like Miguel’s eternal love for Colombia,” Uribe said during the tribute. “May those who pass through this place find that Miguel inspires the security needed for peace to come one day.”
The tribute was held with heavy security, including street closures, drone surveillance, and armed police on rooftops. The high-level security detail prompted a local resident, Vilma Ramírez, to note, “If Miguelito Uribe had had this kind of security, he wouldn’t have been killed.”
The visit marked one of former President Uribe’s first public appearances since a judge removed his house arrest order. He is appealing a 12-year sentence for witness tampering and fraud convictions.
The Return of Violence
Uribe, who governed from 2002 to 2010, is known for his aggressive military campaign that weakened the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerrilla group that signed a peace pact in 2016. While this earned him a reputation as a powerful political voice, his government also faced accusations of human rights abuses, including the systematic killing of thousands of civilians to inflate combat statistics.
Six suspects, including a minor, are in custody for the assassination of Uribe Turbay, and authorities are investigating the possible involvement of FARC dissidents. On Thursday, 19 people, including police officers, were killed in separate attacks involving an explosive device and a car bomb.
Uribe and his Democratic Center party are using the rising violence to galvanize the country’s right wing and influence the upcoming elections. This comes amid growing discontent with the current president, Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader, who ran on a promise of “total peace” but has seen violence spike during his tenure.
“The country is falling apart at this moment. The war is back, the terror is back,” lamented Claudia Marcela Badillo, a retired police officer who attended the gathering.
