Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
![Five Hostages Captured by the FARC (photo courtesy of Colombia Reports)](http://colombiareports.com/pics/2010/12/hostages.jpg)
BRASILIA, Brazil – Former Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba is in Brazil to finalize negotiations with the FARC to release five hostages, including three policemen and two politicians. According to Carlos Lozano, director of the communist magazine Voz, and a member of Cordoba’s peace group “Colombians for Peace,” all of the parties involved, including the Colombian Government and the FARC, have approved the final logistics of the release.
While Cordoba has been working on this release for some time, there were several sticking points between the interested parties about the exact protocals to be used. For example, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Brazilian Government could not come to an agreement about which helicopters would be used. Brazil has a history of providing helicopters and flight crews for previous release missions.
The January release makes good on a promise from the FARC, who explicitly pledged to have the hostages home by the end of the month; however, the release was derailed earlier this month due to bad weather. The deal involves the exchange of hostages held by guerrillas with guerrillas held in Colombian and American prisons. The Colombian government has always opposed such a deal, demanding the guerrillas release their hostages unilaterally.
Cordoba’s involvement with the mission was crucial. The FARC announced that it planned to release the five hostages as an expression of support to Cordoba, who was banned from Congress because of ties to the rebels. Cordoba is hopeful for future relations with the FARC, stating that the next step will be a “humanitarian accord” resulting in the release of all hostages held by the guerrillas.
The hostages are expected the be released on five different locations in Colombia in the second half of this month.
For more information, please see:
Colombia Reports – Cordoba in Brazil to Finalize Logistics FARC Hostage Release – 11 January 2011
Colombia Reports – FARC Hostage Release by Bad Weather – 3 January 2011
Colombia Reports – 5 FARC Hostages Home in January – 1 January 2011