15 FARC Hostages Freed
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Former Presidential Candidate Ingrid Betancourt, the three US contractors and 11 high ranking Colombian military officials have been freed from captivity by the armed forces in the eastern Colombian jungles. Those free today Contratistas estadounidenses
Apparently the liberation came about thanks to the work of an operative who had infiltrated the FARC and managed to persuade his companions that they were to march the hostages off to a helicopter rendez vous to meet the new leader of the FARC Alfonso Cano. In fact the helicopter in question was a military vehicle painted to resemble that of an NGO - albeit a fictitious NGO. The helicopter then flew the hostages to freedom. As far as we know there was no loss of life in Operacion Jaque. What has happened is the news story of the year here in Colombia, some of the hostages have been in captivity for 10 years. that is 10 years of forced marches and jungle illnesses. 10 years away from your family and loved ones. The FARC are down but not yet out. Colombia waits, jubilant for the timebeing for we are at the crossroads of history. Lets get the remaining 600(?) out of those jungles and back to their families... |
For those of you who don't know much about Betancourt or have had trouble keeping up with all of the news in the past 24 hours, head on over to our sister blog, www.matadorpulse.com, where we've got a quick primer about Betancourt up, complete with video.
Miracles do come through and prayers do get answered.
WOW - that is amazing.
It would look as if the FARC's rain of insurgency is over in Columbia. That is a comprehensive list that takes most of the high profile hostages out of captivity. Hard to believe it was accomplished by what sounds like a pretty poor cover!
Great to see that Ingrid Betancourt is free. I am very interested to see how badly she was treated and what medical conditions she has been suffering from.
What is the typical Columbian's view of the FARC? After so many years of ongoing conflict, they must have a surprising following, or have they worn out their welcome throughout the country?
Yes, nothing has really been mentioned as yet about her treatment while in captivity...this will out soon enough. After the images of her in the jungle splashed about a few months ago we were led to believe she was suffering from various types of hepatitis, malaria, chronic bowel disrders and more.
In my personal experience, most Colombians I know are tired of the FARC, maybe 20 something years ago they represented a legitimate political voice but have now been drawn away from their key aims and the ideology is no longer there. I know students who are pro the movement but cannot see the sense in the armed conflict.
Talking to someone just the other day, he said: "Supposedly they are fighting for the people, this is what they all say...then why do they always end up killing the people?"
I had the opportunity some months ago to accompany the top brass and President to a meeting in Cali in order to meet 350 recently demobilized FARC guerrillas. These were kids of 16 and 17 years old with few opportunties. Their answer to my questions as to why they joined up - "We needed the work, the FARC said that they would provide for our families."