The ELN guerrilla released this Friday a non-commissioned officer of the Colombian army and her two children, ages six and eight, who had been kidnapped on Monday, on the eve of the start of a truce between the rebels and the government.
“Second Sergeant Karina Ramírez was released along with her two children with the mediation of the Ombudsman’s Office,” the Ministry of Defense reported on its Twitter account.
In a photo released by that ministry, the woman appears dressed in camouflage along with the two minors – one of whom suffers from autism – three guerrillas from the National Liberation Army (ELN), a priest and several officials from the Ombudsman’s Office, the state entity that watch over human rights.
“We registered with satisfaction – although the event should never have taken place – the release of the sergeant and her children who had been taken by the ELN (…) an armed group with which a bilateral ceasefire has been decreed (… ) that began yesterday,” said the president, Gustavo Petro, at a public event in the port of Buenaventura (southwest).
According to the Ombudsman, the soldier and her children “were received in apparent good health.”
The family was kidnapped while traveling in their vehicle through an area near the border with Venezuela and was branded as “incomprehensible” by the government, which has been negotiating with the ELN since late last year with a view to ending six decades of armed conflict. .
The hold occurred as the parties prepared for the expected cessation of offensive operations.
As of August 3, the truce will also include an end to extortion, kidnapping and other common crimes.
On the eve of the ceasefire, the violence intensified. Three policemen were assassinated on Tuesday in Norte de Santander, neighboring Venezuela. Two of them were killed by hitmen, while another was shot by a sniper, in events that are being investigated.
Last week soldiers killed six guerrillas in Arauca, also close to Venezuela.
The ceasefire will be valid for six months. If fulfilled, it will be the longest period of suspension of hostilities between state forces and the guerrillas.
The parties will meet again from August 14 in Venezuela to continue with the peace talks.
Founded in the heat of the Cuban Revolution in 1964, the ELN (Guevarist) has almost 5,900 combatants, according to official figures for 2022.
Petro, the first leftist to come to power in Colombia, aspires to pacify the country through dialogue with all armed organizations, a policy that, according to the opposition, has deteriorated public order in various regions.
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