Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ordered the FARC Wednesday to stop playing games, following the rebels’ announcement it was suspending the release of six hostages.
The leader reacted angrily on his Twitter page, saying “For God’s sake! No more tricks and deceit. We don’t even know where they are. They have not given us the coordinates. Release them now!”
Former President Alvaro Uribe also released a statement saying, “The FARC terrorists have suspended the release of the hostages indefinitely. Torture and deception have been their way. The way forward is to defeat them.”
The statements came shortly after the FARC suspended the promised release of six hostages indefinitely.
The guerrilla group claimed that the army informants had warned the government planned to interfere with the release to attempt a military rescue.
In a video released last week, FARC commander Ivan Marquez said Corporal Luis Alfonso Beltran, Sergeant Cesar Augusto Lasso and Second Lieutenants Carlos Jose Duarte, Jorge Trujillo, Jorge Romero and Jose Libardo Forero would be set free.
The six are part of 11 members of the security forces held hostage by the FARC in the Colombian jungle. The guerrillas also hold an unknown number of civilians hostage for extortion purposes.