Local elections and violence in Colombia

Any triumphalism about security in Colombia should take the following from Colombia Reports into account:

Twenty candidates in the local elections held in Colombia in October have been assassinated so far, the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) announced Sunday.

According to the NGO, another 32 candidates have received threats, four have been kidnapped and seven survived assassination attempts.

It sounds sadly like Guatemala, and the violence is occurring for very similar reasons. It is also the same type of situation staring Mexico in the face.