Colombia rescues eight hostages held by ELN in Catatumbo
Colombian forces rescued eight people held hostage for nearly two years by the ELN guerrilla group in the Catatumbo region near Venezuela, the president said.
Colombian authorities have rescued eight people who were being held hostage by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group in the Catatumbo region, close to the border with Venezuela, President Abelardo de la Espriella announced.
The freed captives had been held for close to two years, according to Colonel Libardo Fabio Ojeda Eraso, director of the anti-kidnapping police, who said the operation was carried out in the villages of La Bogotana and La Honduras, deep inside Catatumbo in the Norte de Santander department.
De la Espriella described the mission as a "surgically precise offensive operation" that drew on intelligence support, elite anti-kidnapping units, the Colombian Aerospace Force and the police. Members of the GAULA, the unified action groups for personal freedom, were sent to the target location and carried out what the president called a swift and decisive operation.
The rescue took place in a rural area of the municipality of Convención, where both the ELN and dissident factions of the former FARC guerrilla group — which did not join the peace agreement signed a decade ago — are active. Helicopters carrying the freed hostages arrived at an air base in Catatumbo, where they were received by military personnel.
Military rescues of hostages are less common in Colombia than handovers to humanitarian missions, which typically involve the state-run Ombudsman's Office.
Speaking after the operation, de la Espriella issued a blunt warning to the guerrilla group. "I say this to the ELN in no uncertain terms: there is absolutely no justification for kidnapping. We will pursue those who kidnap, extort and terrorise Colombians until they are brought to justice," he said.
The conservative president ended peace talks with illegal armed groups that had been started by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, arguing that they showed no genuine willingness to make peace and had used the negotiations to strengthen their military capabilities. De la Espriella took office on 7 August.
The ELN, active since 1964, has carried out several bomb attacks during his administration in protest at the end of the talks. The group is believed to be holding several hostages, though the exact number is unknown. At the weekend, it said in a communiqué that it is holding the driver of an ambulance from a hospital in Catatumbo, whom it accuses of transporting wounded members of the dissident faction.