Political candidates with what was previously Colombia’s largest rebel group are suspending their legislative and presidential campaigns amid security concerns.

Leaders of the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force – formerly the Farc rebel group – said they have decided to halt all campaign activities until their safety can be assured.

Former guerrilla commander Rodrigo Londono, who is running for the Colombian presidency, has been confronted by angry mobs since launching his campaign.

The former combatants reached a historic peace deal with the government in 2016, allowing them to start a political party in exchange for disarming and confessing to any crimes.

Some Colombians have been reluctant to embrace the deal following more than five decades of armed conflict that left at least 250,000 dead, another 60,000 missing and more than seven million people displaced.