Colombian gov't to resume military crackdown against FARC
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The Colombian government announced on Sunday it would resume military actions against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), accusing the anti-government guerrilla group of breaking a promise to release two hostages.
Earlier Sunday, the armed group released police officer Carlos Alberto Ocampo, who was among three hostages scheduled to be freed. But the other two were kept in captivity.
FARC indicated that police major Guillermo Solorzano and army corporal Salin Antonio Sanmiguel would be released in the central Tolima region.
However, Eduardo Pizarro, the government delegate, told media the hostages that FARC promised to release failed to appear in the designated area.
"The FARC should release hostages in Tolima Province, but finally, the hostages were not there but appeared in Cauce Province. It is an annoying and strange behavior," said Pizarro.
The guerrilla group pledged earlier to release another two hostages to a delegation of the International Red Cross Committee to meet its promise of releasing a total of five hostages.
Pizarro said the guerrilla behavior "annoys and it is very disturbing."
"This must be clear before the international public opinion that the government strictly fulfilled all the agreements assumed," Pizarro said.
"The government fulfilled all the security protocols signed before the Defense Ministry and the International Committee Red Cross, and the government did not take any military action in the zone where the releases were planned," added Pizarro.
"So, tomorrow the International Committee of the Red Cross surely will offer to the government the need to consider a new zone for the release of the hostages, that in this case would be Cauca Province, and the government will consider this situation." Pizarro said.
FARC, Latin America's oldest guerrilla group, was once a strong anti-government force and was notorious for its drug trafficking and kidnapping activities. But the group has suffered a huge setback due to a determined government security drive since 2002 and backtracked into remote mountains and jungles.
