I’ve stayed away from political topics so far, but in Colombia politics is a big part of everybody’s life. I think this is different from the US, because there are SO MANY Americans who don’t have a clue what’s going on, locally or nationally, and certainly not internationally. But because of Colombia’s particular problems, the story is a little different here.
So, I’m going to post about a hostage who recently escaped the guerilla (and without going into the background of the more than 40-year conflict).
A soldier who had been kidnapped almost nine years ago by the FARC–Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia escaped early this month. (If you’re interested, some background information on the FARC is here. Actually, the group has degenerated and I don’t think anybody considers them revolutionaries any longer–instead they’re just called guerilla.) Anyway, this guy escaped from the camp where he was being held and for seventeen days walked and swam through the jungle, using the sun as his guide, until he was finally rescued.
He has an eight-year-old son he had never seen. And he was being held in the same camp as some high-profile people kidnapped a few years later–Ingrid Betancout, who had been kidnapped in 2002 while campaigning for the Colombian presidency, and three Americans who are described as defense contractors and were kidnapped in 2003.
So, that was the big news. Nobody had heard anything from or about Ingrid Betancourt or the Americans for years. And now, we know they’re alive and in Colombia (or, at least, they were as of a month ago). Ingrid Betancourt, especially, is big news in Colombia because she’s from a wealthy and prominent family, and also because she is a dual Colombian-French citizen and gets a lot of attention in France.
But, the reason I’m writing about this is the the response of the Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe, to this escape. This guy is a strong law-and-order president and very popular since he’s decreased kidnappings and other violence problems in the country (despite many, many problems and doubts regarding his tactics–also another story). His response to learning about Ingrid Betancourt and the Americans was to tell his generals that, without doubt, they are going to rescue her, and to promise the US congress that the American hostages will be rescued as well.
Now, the interesting thing about these proclamations is that according to the escaped hostage, Jhon Frank Pinchao, there is no doubt that when a rescue is attempted, the hostages will be killed. This has happened often in the past, and the FARC promise the hostages and the nation that it will happen again. Ingrid Betancourt’s mother and most relatives of hostages are very against military interventions in these situations. But the president likes his strong image and likes making bold statements, and very much dislikes anybody questioning him.
These hostages eat beans and rice, apparently (like 90% of the country, I might add), and some, like Ingrid Betancourt, are chained at night, and occcasionally all day too, to prevent escape attempts. President Uribe describes their treatment as worse than what the Nazis used in WWII. No doubt their life is not pleasnat. But, I’d like to suggest he read Night, just for some perspective.
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