COLOMBIAN REBELS FREE JOURNALISTS
>> BOGOTA: Rebels with Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) group have freed two Dutch journalists snatched days ago in the country’s northeast, officials said yesterday.
Colombia’s ombudsman office, which handles human rights issues, wrote on Twitter that the rebel group freed reporter Derk Johannes Bolt, 62, and his cameraman Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender, 58, in a rural area of Norte de Santander state.
The office posted an accompanying photo purporting to show the pair, pictured with some of the rebels, along with Colombian human rights officials.
The announcement came after rebels issued what turned out to be an erroneous announcement earlier on Friday stating that the two men, who were kidnapped on June 19, had been released.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders yesterday confirmed the journalists had been freed, adding that the families of both men have been informed and that the ambassador has been able to speak with them. “They are doing pretty well considering the circumstances.”
“We’ve been in constant contact with the Colombian authorities who have worked hard on freeing them. I have a lot of appreciation and am grateful for their contribution,” Mr Koenders added. “This is very good news. I am enormously pleased that this kidnapping has ended so quickly.”
A short time later, the Dutch diplomat issued a followup statement, relating details from a brief conversation he was able to have with one of the journalists.
“Bolt was able to talk and very relieved. They are now facing a journey back through the jungle. We are putting everything in motion in order to bring them back to The Netherlands as quickly as possible,” Mr Koenders said.
Officials feared the high-profile kidnapping could disrupt peace talks between the ELN and the Colombian government.
The journalists work for Spoorloos, a programme on Kro-Ncrv TV that helps Dutch people trace their biological relatives around the world.
The government of Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos and ELN opened peace talks on Feb 7 in Quito, Ecuador, after nearly four years of secret negotiations. The ELN, with 1,500 fighters, is the last guerrilla group still active in Colombia.