The 17-year old daughter of a policeman held hostage for 12 years by Colombia’s FARC guerrilla group, marched from her home to Bogota Thursday to demand the release of her father.
Natalia Duarte, the daughter of policeman Carlos Jose Duarte, walked over 40 miles from the city of Fusagasuga to the Colombian capital. The girl, overwhelmed by emotion on arrival, was accompanied by 30 people.
“I am not asking the FARC to return to me what they have taken. I demand they release my dad and if they don’t I am willing to go to the jungle and get him,” the girl told newspaper El Tiempo.
Duarte expressed her frustration over the lack of support she received in her attempt to demand the release of her father and other hostages.
“I am sad to see how many Colombians do not care about the hostages and think this is a problem of just us, the families. There are people who still do not understand that the conflict affects us all. We lack social conciousness a lot,” the girl told the newspaper.
Among the 30 people were a number of journalists, ex-hostages and one former guerrilla.
The FARC announced the impending release of Duarte and five other hostages in January, but later suspended the release citing over militarization of the release zone by the Colombian government. Efforts have been made to restart the release process, but the FARC has yet announce a release date.