The FARC will hand over the remains of Colombian policeman Julian Ernesto Guevara, who died in captivity, to a humanitarian commission at an undisclosed location in the Colombian jungle on Thursday, High Commissioner for Peace Frank Pearl announced.
Pearl said that the Colombian army and police force will suspend operations from 6pm Wednesday in the zone where the hand over will take place.
“The day after tomorrow a commission comprising of Monseñor (Leonardo Gomez), Senator Piedad Cordoba and the International Committe of the Red Cross (ICRC) will receive the remains of Julian Ernesto Guevara,” Pearl said Tuesday evening.
Pearl’s announcement follows the successful liberation of FARC hostages Josue Daniel Calvo and Pablo Emilio Moncayo, who were freed Sunday and Tuesday respectively.
Confusion surrounded the handover of Guevara’s remains. Last Friday the FARC released a statement saying that Guevara’s remains would not be handed over, as they were located in an area that is occupied by the Colombian national army.
However Tuesday the guerrilla organization indicated the coordinates where Guevara’s remains are located, signalling that the hand over will go ahead.
Pearl said that the remains, once received, will be submitted to DNA analysis to ensure that they are in fact Guevara’s.
The Colombian policeman died in FARC captivity in 2006.