The Colombian Ombudsman’s Office has reported that the National Liberation Army (ELN) has released a member of the country’s Navy this Tuesday in the department of Arauca.
This was detailed by the Colombian Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, in a statement, adding that the soldier had been held by the guerrillas since December 13.
«A humanitarian mission formed by the Ombudsman’s Office and the Diocese of Arauca of the Catholic Church allowed the return to freedom of the third naval non-commissioned officer, Camilo Andrés Córdoba Arenas, who was in the power of the ELN», the statement of the Ombudsman’s Office states.
«A team of our Arauca Regional arrived to one of the most remote areas of the Arauca foothills to receive the non-commissioned officer Camilo Córdoba Arenas of the National Navy, who had been held by the ELN for 14 days. Humanitarian work was carried out for his prompt return home», said Carlos Camargo.
The non-commissioned officer had been held by the ELN’s Eastern War Front when he was traveling in a public service bus in the department of Arauca.
«From the Ombudsman’s Office we will continue to use all our humanitarian channels and our institutional capacity to facilitate, from the territories, the safe return of people held by illegal armed groups,» added the ombudsman.
Camargo has once again reiterated the call to the illegal armed groups to continue on the path of showing gestures of peace and actions that demonstrate their willingness not to continue with armed confrontations and to establish a unilateral ceasefire so that communities in remote areas of the country do not continue to be put at risk.
«Our country requires signs of peace, such as the release of all the people held by the illegal armed groups, so that the progress of the dialogues that the National Government has been advancing can be concretized», he said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
