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News Release

AFSC Statement on Colombian Hostage Release

PHILADELPHIA, PA [January 14, 2008] en español> (.pdf)- The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) joins fellow NGOs, officials, and civil society in applauding the release of two hostages in Colombia--Clara Rojas, an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, and former Colombian congresswoman Consuelo González de Perdomo--by the primary guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This comes one week after the return and positive identification of Clara’s son Emmanuel, who was born in FARC custody and has been under care of the Instituto de Bienestar Familiar for the past three years.

We commend the many governments and individuals who played crucial roles in winning the release of these hostages, including Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba and the government of Venezuela. Despite the marked political differences between these actors and the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, this provides concrete hope that trust and reconciliation might begin to be built in the context of the Colombian conflict.

We would also like to commend the work of individuals in civil society who helped to resolve this situation. In particular we recognize Clara de Rojas (the mother of Clara Rojas) and Professor Gustavo Moncayo whose son is still in FARC custody. Both were invited guests of the AFSC and fellow faith-based organizations in Bogotá during the "Semana por la Paz" in September of 2007. At that time, these faith-based groups worked to promote a Humanitarian Accord between the Government of President Uribe and the FARC in order to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

There remain over 700 persons held in captivity by the FARC, from labor leaders to US contractors, from police and military to public officials. Images of a tired and thin Ingrid Betancourt, who has been held since her abduction in 2002 with Clara Rojas, have recently been published across Colombian media, generating a strong resurgence in the public call for a Humanitarian Accord, which the Uribe government has resisted.

The AFSC joins civil society actors, government officials, NGOs and other individuals in their hope that the release of these captives will result in an increased momentum toward a full Humanitarian Accord, marked by the release of FARC captives, particularly non-combatants, and the end of the practice of political kidnappings. Additionally, these exchanges might provide the first step toward the development of a political dialogue resulting in disarmament of all illegal armed actors in Colombia and the end of the armed conflict.

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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.

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