Mediator Piedad Cordoba left Colombia for Brazil Monday to begin an operation to release five FARC hostages.
Prior to departing, Cordoba said, “The success of this operation is a prelude to an opportunity for peace in Colombia.” She also repeated her description of President Juan Manuel Santos as “the president of peace,” El Tiempo reported Monday.
Cordoba, who is travelling with members of the Colombian NGO “Colombia Paz,” is visiting Brazil to collect helicopters and pilots who will assist with the release operation.
The operation is due to begin on Wednesday and last through to Sunday. The FARC announced in December that it planned to free five hostages as a gesture of support for Cordoba. Working in conjunction with the Red Cross, the former senator is overseeing the release operation.
Cordoba said Sunday that she was confident that the release would set in motion a process in which the FARC will release all hostages by the second half of the year.
