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Colombian president halts Farc talks after general kidnapped Colombian president halts talks with Farc rebels after general kidnapped
(about 7 hours later)
The Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, has suspended peace talks with Marxist Farc rebels following the kidnapping of an army general, throwing into crisis the nation’s efforts to end 50 years of war. Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, has suspended peace talks with leftist Farc rebels following the kidnapping of a general in a remote jungle region, putting the future of the process to end the country’s 50-year-old war in jeopardy.
General Ruben Dario Alzate, who heads the Titan task force in the Pacific department of Choco, was captured on Sunday afternoon by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), along with another military official and a civilian. Gen Rubén Darío Alzate, who heads the Titan task force in the Pacific department of Chocó, was taken on Sunday afternoon by members of the Farc, along with another military official and a civilian, in a small village close to the provincial capital of Quibdó.
“Tomorrow negotiators were to travel to another round of talks in Havana,” Santos said early on Monday. “I will tell them not to go and that the talks are suspended until these people are released.” Santos ordered a massive search and rescue operation to locate and free the hostages while at the same time suspending peace talks with the Farc, which were scheduled to being a new round in Havana on Tuesday. “The talks are suspended until these people are released,” he said in a statement early on Monday morning.
“We will be attentive in the next 24 hours to the evolution of these incidents,” Santos said. “This kidnapping is completely unacceptable,” the president said. “The Farc is responsible for the life and the security of these three people.” The defence ministry said it had contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to ask it to intercede with the Farc to ensure the safety of the hostages and try to secure their release.
Alzate was captured after disembarking from a boat on a river near the city of Quibdo, during a visit to an energy project, the defence minister, Juan Carlos Pinzon, said. Alzate was abducted by men armed with rifles after disembarking from a boat in the village of Las Mercedes, according to Juan Carlos Pinzon, the defence minister. An army corporal, Jorge Rodriguez Contreras, and a civilian lawyer, Gloria Urrego were taken along with the general, but a soldier who piloted the vessel escaped and alerted authorities, the minister said.
Another official and a lawyer travelling on the boat were also captured, although a soldier at the wheel of the launch managed to escape and inform the authorities. Alzate was travelling as a civilian and was unaccompanied by his customary bodyguards despite going into an area with a known guerrilla presence. Santos asked his defence minister to explain the reasons behind the apparent breach of security protocol.
Santos had publicly warned the Farc that it risked jeopardising the peace process after the abduction of two soldiers last week and continued attacks on infrastructure. Senator Roy Barreras, a member of the congressional peace commission, told W Radio that the general’s excursion “not only put the general’s life in danger but put the life of the peace process in danger”.
The rebel group has stopped kidnaps for ransom but maintains that military personnel are fair targets in the absence of a ceasefire. Despite two years of talks, and agreements on three of the five negotiating points, no ceasefire has been declared and combat between the two forces, ambushes and guerrilla attacks are frequent. Last week two soldiers were abducted in eastern Arauca province and Santos had warned the Farc that such actions put the peace process at risk.
Alzate entered the area in a civilian capacity, breaking security protocol, Santos said. He was not accompanied by bodyguards. “If the Farc do not free the general and his companions unconditionally but rather try to negotiate, the process could go into crisis that could lead to a definitive break,” said Jorge Restrepo, director of the Conflict Analysis Resource Centre, a Bogotá thinktank.
Troops will be sent to the area to attempt to rescue the three captives, the president said. The government will also work with the International Committee of the Red Cross for their release. Santos has made achieving peace with the Farc the main priority of his presidency but faces criticism from conservative sectors of Colombian society who feel the 8,000 strong guerrilla force should be defeated militarily.
Farc leaders in Havana have occasionally dissociated themselves from violent attacks by lower ranks in Colombia, raising the possibility the high command could defuse tension by securing the general’s release. “The abduction will be used by those who criticise the negotiation process to galvanise opposition to the process,” said Restrepo.
The halt is not the first time the two-year-old talks have been suspended. The Farc stopped them in August 2013 to review the government’s plan to put any peace deal to a referendum. Negotiations resumed several days later. Former rightwing president Álvaro Uribe, who leads opposition to the peace process from the seat he now holds in the Senate, tweeted: “Santos has allowed the Farc to feel they are equal to the armed forces, that’s why terrorists kidnap.”
The Farc and government negotiators have reached partial agreement on three of the five points of the agenda for the talks, including land reform, the drug trade and political participation for the rebels. The Farc had not made any public statements about the general’s abduction nor the suspension of talks. The only other time talks have been suspended since beginning in November 2012 was in August of last year when the Farc balked at a government plan to put any peace deal to a referendum. Negotiations resumed several days later.
A public opinion poll published at the weekend showed that 55% of Colombians support the peace process but 53% are pessimistic about the outcome.