Just 24 hours after the start of a bilateral ceasefire between the Colombian Government and National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla, the illegal armed group released a military officer and her two children. President Gustavo Petro celebrated the gesture on social media, but did not refer to her condition as a hostage of ELN as a “kidnapping,” rather as a “taking.”
In an attempt to stymie another crisis that has marked the controversial ceasefire agreement between Gustavo Petro’s government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), on Friday, the 3,600-strong Maoist guerrilla released Sergeant Ghislaine Karina Ramírez, five days after she was kidnapped by the illegal armed group. Ramírez was taken captive by the ELN, along with her two children, aged 8 and 6.
The officer and the youngsters were handed over to a humanitarian mission consisting of three representatives from the Ombudsman’s Office, and two priests in a rural area between the municipalities of Fortul and Tame, Arauca. Karina appeared dressed in military camouflage, despite having been abducted as a civilian.
The family was escorted at the hand-over by a “delegation” of combatants. However, none of the guerilla displayed firearms in pictures released by the Defensoría del Pueblo.
The sergeant, her children, and family pet were abducted toward the end of Monday’s bank holiday by the Domingo Laín Sáenz Front of the ELN. Ms. Ramírez was driving the family car and had been cleared by her superiors to travel to the department in Eastern Colombia.
The humanitarian observers confirmed that the family “appeared to be in good health.” After leaving the liberation zone, Karina remarked to her father: “I am now free with the children, and we are heading to the capital of Arauca.” She will also be reunited with her partner who also serves in Colombia’s Armed Forces.
With news of the officer’s release, Defense Minister Iván Velásquez claimed Ramírez had been “imprudent” for moving around in areas known for having a guerrilla presence. “She, alone with her children, driving in her vehicle, in an area where – in any case – the presence of the National Liberation Army is known… is an act of imprudence,” he said.
Velásquez’s statements have been sharply criticized for placing blame on a victim, rather than condemning the guerrilla for continuing to kidnap civilians and members of the armed forces. It also remains to be seen if the release of Sergeant Ramírez was a genuine peace gesture by ELN, or if the horrific practice of kidnapping will continue as a long as the ceasefire holds.
