09:14 AM
Two prosecutors and a civilian have been kidnapped since April 19 in the department of Cauca. The victims are in the power of the dissidents of the FARC Central General Staff.
Gerzon Rivera, Bethy Mage and the civilian Maria Yeni Ruiz were returning home from Popayán when they were kidnapped by the subversives at an illegal checkpoint in the rural area of Santander de Quilichao.
You may be interested in: “Look beyond the weapons”: heartbreaking letter from families of the three kidnapped by dissidents in Cauca
Now, on the morning of this Wednesday, May 8, The FARC dissidents published a statement in which they affirm that they are willing to negotiate the terms for a release of these three people.
In this request a suspension of hostilities by the Army, They affirm that from the moment they detained the three people, their lives have been at risk. “Thanks to the maneuver and expertise of the units that guard them, they have been removed alive from the places of confrontations,” the statement reads.
“We have requested the suspension of offensive actions for a period of 48 hours in three municipalities of Cauca,” adds the statement, which also points out that “The life and integrity of those detained depends exclusively on the National Government” and, in a tone of cynicism, they maintain: “There is no bargaining with humanitarian acts.”
On April 30, The families of the victims sent a heartfelt letter to the Government and the guerrillas requesting their release. “We ask that you look beyond the weapons and see the humanity in our family members,” the letter reads.
In the statement published by the dissidents, they affirm that They have tried to communicate with the Government of President Gustavo Petro to request minimum conditions of guarantees for them and carry out the release, but that these have not been heard.
The dissidents also stated that they have tried to communicate with different guarantor organizations such as the International Red Cross, the Ombudsman’s Office and Indigenous Authorities, but that the Government continues to carry out military assaults that put the lives of those kidnapped and the lives of those kidnapped at risk. The guerrillas.
