Colombia: Release of general and two other army members held by FARC-EP

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia: Release of general and two other army members held by FARC-EP
News release
30 November 2014

Bogotá/Geneva (ICRC) – Three members of the Colombian army held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP) since 16 November have today been released. The general, corporal and lawyer were handed over to representatives of the Cuban and Norwegian governments and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The handover took place in a rural area of Chocó department, in western Colombia.

"The reason we were able to carry out this operation was because the parties trust the ICRC and respect its humanitarian work," said Christoph Harnisch, who heads the ICRC delegation in Colombia. "We remain willing to act as a neutral intermediary in such operations."

An ICRC doctor who participated in the operation examined those released and confirmed that they were fit to travel. They were then transferred in a helicopter bearing the ICRC emblem to Medellín, the capital of Antioquia department in the north-west of the country, where they were met by representatives of the Colombian army.

"We hope that the peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP will resume soon," said Mr Harnisch. "We continue to support this process, with a view to alleviating the suffering of all the victims of this long conflict."

More:
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/colombia-release-general-and-two-other-army-members-held-farc-ep#.VHt3-GdxnIU

[Louisiana1976]

1. That's good news. It can only help the peace process.

[Judi Lynn]

2. It's so good this President avoided doing what his predecessor did.

Alvaro Uribe had his military had his military shoot up the area where they were expecting the team bringing the hostages for their return, after a very long walk.

When they opened up on them, it sent the whole group running back through the forest for 25 miles and ended the attempt to deliver them.

Uribe apparently thought they could slaughter the team and take the hostages, or simply blame the whole failure to rescue them on the FARC, with nothing to lose, himself. Who was going to do anything about it, anyway, if everyone got killed?

He was the "law" in Colombia, after all.

Was very afraid the same thing might happen today. So glad it didn't. Santos showed it can be done the right way!