Colombia’s largest rebel group FARC on Sunday released their first hostage in over a year. After a year a captivity in the Colombian jungle, soldier Josue Daniel Calvo was reunited with his family.
Despite earlier statements by the Colombian government that the soldier would be seriously injured, the former hostage seemed in relatively good health. He was however walking on a crutch when walking to wards his parents.
Also on board of the Brazilian helicopters retuirning to the central Colombian city of Villavicencio were Piedad Cordoba and fellow-members of peace group Colombians for Peace, members of the Red Cross and a representative from the catholic church.
According to Cordoba, who, together with the church, had mediated the release, said that there had been rumors the government had sent helicopters to the area where the release were to take place. She also said the guerrillas had given her a canary called Twitter for her active “tweeting” preceeding the release operation.
The release of Calvo and a second hostage, Pablo Emilio Moncayo, have been stalled for almost a year, as the government and the FARC had difficulties coming to an agreement on the conditions for a release.
Moncayo will be released on Tuesday, members of the humanitarian mission have said.