Brazil has formally agreed to assist Colombia with the release of six FARC hostage, reported local media.
Colombia’s Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon made the announcement Thursday following talks between his deputy minister and a senior Brazilian ambassador.
The FARC announced plans to release the hostages, who have been held for more than 11 years, last December, but their liberation has been stalled by political complications between the leftist rebel group and the Colombian government.
The government had previously announced that it had authorized the Brazilian provision of pilots and helicopters for the operation but Brazil had denied ever receiving a request. Now it has formally agreed to provide assistance, according to the Colombian government.
The Colombian government, Red Cross, and Brazil are now waiting on FARC to announce when and where the hostages, who have been held for over a decade, will be released.
Peace activist and FARC mediator Piedad Cordoba said earlier this week that the rebels had now agreed to release a total of ten captives.