Colombia: the FARC hand over a police officer and an army officer
| Publisher | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) |
| Publication Date | 18 February 2011 |
| Cite as | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Colombia: the FARC hand over a police officer and an army officer, 18 February 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4d5e18362.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Bogotá (ICRC) - On the afternoon of 16 February, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) released Guillermo Solórzano, a police officer and Salín Antonio Sanmiguel Valderrrama, an army officer, in a rural area situated between the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca.
Major Solórzano had spent three years and eight months in the hands of the FARC, Corporal Sanmiguel two years and eight months.
They were both handed over to the former Colombian senator Piedad Córdoba, ICRC delegates and a member of Colombians for Peace. They were then taken by a helicopter bearing the ICRC emblem and provided by the Brazilian government to the town of Cali. From there they went to Bogotá to be reunited with their families.
"We are pleased that these families can at last be with their loved ones - something that they have been looking forward to for a long time. We are also very pleased that the undertakings given by the parties, the government of Columbia and the FARC, have been fulfilled. Lastly we would like once again to thank the Brazilian government for its support in providing the helicopters and crew", said Christophe Beney, the head of the ICRC delegation in Colombia.
This handover brings the number of persons freed by the FARC since 9 February to six. The other people who were released are Marcos Baquero and Armando Acuña, municipal councillors, Henry López, a naval seaman and Carlos Alberto Ocampo, a member of the police force.
As an impartial, neutral and independent humanitarian organization, the ICRC stands ready to facilitate the release of other people being held by armed groups.
For further information, plese contact:
María Cristina Rivera, ICRC (in Spanish) tel.: +57 311 491 07 75
Sandra Lefcovich, ICRC (in Portuguese) tel.: +55 61 81220119 or +57 310 764 94 03
Pascal Jequier, Bogotá, ICRC (in French or English) tel.: +571 313 86 30 or +57 311 491 07 89
