FARC agrees to release kidnapped Colombian general
Peace talks between the government of Colombia and leftist rebels known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are set to resume after an agreement to free a kidnapped Colombian general was reached.
Reuters reports that a statement released by Norwegian and Cuban facilitators of the peace process announced that an agreement to free the general has been reached. No details were included.
The Economist reports that Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos had suspended the peace talks which were supposed to continue Nov. 18. The peace talks seek to end Latin America's longest continuous conflict, which has been ongoing for 50 years and claimed more than 200,000 lives. The Economist notes that even as peace talks had continued in Havana, Cuba, fighting between both the government and FARC never really ended. As recently as last week two government fighters were captured by FARC after a battle. FARC has also sabotaged infrastructure and ambushed government troops on patrol. While both sides have continued fighting, the kidnapping of General Rubén Darío Alzate was a clear escalation. This is because the general was dressed as a civilian and traveling in a civilian boat at the time of his abduction, according to The Economist. Some say that if FARC had tried to negotiate the general's release the peace talks, which have been ongoing for two years, could have collapsed. A different Reuters report says that the man in charge of representing FARC at the peace talks in Cuba said that he and his team of negotiators had no say in whether or not the general is freed. The negotiators said that Alzate's fate was in the hands of the seven person committee that commands FARC, according to Reuters. Alzate is the highest-ranking official of the Colombian government that FARC has ever taken hostage.
