Former Senator Piedad Cordoba expressed her satisfaction over the successful release of six FARC hostages over the past week.
Despite the three-day delay in rebel group’s release of the last two hostages, Cordoba considered her mission “accomplished.”
In an interview with Contagio Radio, the former senator described the past ten days as “very satisfactory despite the difficulties.”
In December, the FARC announced it would release five hostages to support Cordoba, who was banned from the Senate after the inspector general considered her ties to the rebel group proven.
The first two operations — last Wednesday and Friday — went well, but the last release operation — which was expanded after the FARC surprisingly decided to release a sixth hostage — went wrong as two of the three hostages were not at the designated spot.
The failed hostage release infuriated the government and caused tensions between Bogota and the mediating Cordoba. Wednesday morning, the government announced that the FARC were releasing the remaining two hostages the same day and the last release operation was carried almost immediately.
“The most important is that we succeeded. This is sufficient,” said Cordoba to the radio station, adding that even more important “is the satisfaction of being able to recuperate these people, receive them, notice that the FARC’s decision shows a political attitude that can bring the possibility for peace closer.”
The Colombian government has said that the door to peace is open on the condition that the FARC release the remaining hostages and cease terrorist activities.