Four hostages, released by Colombia’s largest rebel group FARC earlier
Sunday, were re-united with their family Sunday evening. Meanwhile, the
mediators that brokered their release accuse the government of having
endangered the operation by conducting military operations in the area
of the release.
According to members of ‘Colombians for Peace’, the group that started a correspondence with the FARC and were responsible for managing the release, army operations in the area nearly made the FARC call off the release.
The Colombian Government’s High Commissioner of Peace, Luis Carlos Restrepo, denied the armed forces were frustrating the release and said the accusations were “baseless” and that the Government kept its promise about guaranteeing the release.
The Red Cross, which together with the Brazilian Government and Colombians for Peace was responsible for the pick up, remained silent about the alleged interference of the army.
However, the arrival of the hostages in Villavicencio was delayed for hours and it wasn’t until 7 PM that the three policemen and one soldier were able to land at the airport and be embraced by their loved ones.
On Monday another hostage is promised to be released by the Marxist rebels and on Wednesday another. These two politicians are the last two civil hostages kept by the FARC that are part of the group that the rebels want to exchange for 500 guerrillas held in Colombian and U.S. prisons.
Released hostages arrive to be re-united with their family