A Colombian official announced a new strategy for liberating civilian hostages held by guerrilla groups, Wednesday.
In a Defense Ministry email, Director of the Presidential Human Rights Program Alma Viviana Perez said the government would increase, “visibility of the civilian hostage issue, work with [the victims’] families, and re-articulate the attention the State needs to give to these families in order to return their loved ones.”
The email said the government would also take measures to determine the exact number of civilian hostages held by guerrilla groups such as the FARC and the ELN.
Earlier this month Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, the FARC, released its remaining military hostages. This followed its February announcement that it would discontinue the practice of kidnapping.
A undetermined number of civilian hostages remain in FARC custody.