Colombia: ELN frees Canadian citizen
| Publisher | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) |
| Publication Date | 27 August 2013 |
| Cite as | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Colombia: ELN frees Canadian citizen, 27 August 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/55cc8ffc4.html [accessed 20 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. |
At this moment, a helicopter of the ICRC is transporting Gernot Wober, a Canadian citizen who was held by the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) for over seven months and was freed today.
The ELN handed over Mr Wober in a rural area of Southern Bolivar to a team of humanitarian personnel that included ICRC delegates. At the request of the ELN, the team was accompanied by the archbishop of Cali and the Jesuit superior in Colombia.
"A doctor carried out a check-up on Mr Wober to evaluate his general state of health. We are happy he can soon meet his family again," said Jordi Raich, head of the ICRC delegation in Colombia. "The ICRC reiterates its continued willingness to offer its services as a neutral intermediary to facilitate the release of other persons being held by armed groups."
In 2013, the ICRC has facilitated the release of 15 people in Colombia who had been held by armed groups. Since 1994, it has served as a neutral intermediary in the release of over 1,500 people in the country.
