Colombian guerrilla group ELN kidnapped three politicians active in the country’s Partido de la U, in the western department of Arauca, close to the Venezuelan border, reported Colombian media on Thursday.
In a video obtained by Caracol television, the three abducted men – identified as political party members Yesid Lozano, Donaldo Sanchez and Alexander Sanchez – state that they were kidnapped by the rebel group for “political motives.”
According to reports, the video, which was filmed on March 15, was originally sent by the ELN to a Catholic Church in the municipality of Saravena.
The kidnappings of two of the three men is said to have taken place in Saravena itself, on March 11.
All three men state in the video that they expect to be released in the near future.