Colombia: ICRC facilitates release of local politician
| Publisher | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) |
| Publication Date | 9 February 2011 |
| Cite as | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Colombia: ICRC facilitates release of local politician, 9 February 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4d54dbb12.html [accessed 19 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 9 February, Marcos Baquero, a member of the municipal council of San José de Guaviare, was released by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and handed over to former Colombian senator Piedad Córdoba, delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a member of Colombians for Peace.
The handover took place in a rural area of Meta department.
Marcos Baquero was subsequently transferred to the city of Villavicencio in a helicopter bearing the red cross emblem, provided by the government of Brazil. There, he was reunited with his family, after one year and seven months apart.
The ICRC thanks the government of Brazil for its logistical support, and the government of Colombia, Piedad Córdoba and the FARC for their assistance in carrying out this humanitarian operation.
A second operation is planned for 11 February in Caquetá department, during which it is hoped that Armando Acuña, a member of the municipal council of Garzón, and Henry López Martínez, a naval seaman, will be released. Salín Antonio Sanmiguel Valderrama, an army corporal, and Guillermo Solórzano, a police officer, are due to be released in a third operation scheduled for 13 February in Tolima department.
As an impartial, neutral and independent humanitarian organization, the ICRC stands ready to facilitate the release of other people in the hands of armed groups.
