Local politician Armando Acuña, the second of five hostages due to be released this week, is successfully collected by the humanitarian mission, reports El Tiempo.
Armando Acuña, a former councilman from the Huila department, spoke to his wife, Nebuia Segura, on the phone while she was giving an interview to El Tiempo.
Acuña´s daughter, Nandy, said, “I was in makeup because we were about to be interview on Canal El Tiempo. The phone rang and I ignored it because I thought it was a journalist. However, it rang again and I was told it would be the Red Cross and that I would be able to speak to my father.”
Nandy then ran to her mother who was being interviewed and handed her the phone.
“I asked him how he was and told him that I had said a prayer for him. He told me he had done the same for me,” recounted Acuña’s wife.
All military operations in the area have been ceased by Colombian armed forces since 6PM Thursday to allow the operation to take place. The operations are on hold for a 24 hour period.
The mission will now move on to another undisclosed site to pick up Henry Lopez Martinez.
The final two hostages are due to be released on Sunday from a separate location in Colombia.
Should the final phase be successful, it is expected that the five will be received by President Juan Manuel Santos on Sunday at the presidential palace of Nariño in Bogota.
The five hostages being released this week comprise part of a group of 19 “exchangeable” political hostages the rebels hope to swap for hundreds of imprisoned guerrillas. The guerrilla group is also suspected of holding hundreds of civilians captive for extortion purposes.