A Humanitarian Exchange? Think again.
Throughout the past decade, a guerrilla group known as the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) has been trying to kidnap my country. They haven't quite achieved it yet, and they never will, but it certainly hasn't been for lack of trying. During the last few years, they've decided to heighten the political stakes by adding prominent political figures and members of the military (including a former presidential candidate and a well-known senator) to the their yearly thousands-long list of kidnapees. The government does not wish to bargain with terrorists over the lives of these people, but there has been growing pressure to allow for an inadequately called "humanitarian exchange" in which kidnap victims will be traded for guerrilla prisoners in Colombian jails. I can understand that families wish to see those who are being held captive return home, but to me it seems unlikely that such an agreement would not simply encourage guerrilla groups to intensify their kidnapping campaigns.However, since some sort of solution is ultimately necessary, the government has been secretly making contact with these groups for a couple of years and trying to come to an agreement about the issue. Last week, these quiet negotiations were revealed to the public eye after the government openly made a formal proposition regarding such an exchange. The government's offer was to free 50 guerrilla members who have been convicted on charges of rebellion, and who should either leave the country or submit to a social "re-insertion" program, in exchange for all "politically-motivated" kidnapped victims. Unsurprisingly, however, the FARC apparently consider that this offer is not generous enough and continue seeking greater benefits in exchange for the lives and liberty of innocent people. But what else could we expect of them?
In any case, feel free to read the following article in El Pais, regarding US criticism of the exchange. There is also a more in depth article at the Revista Semana website.
If you don't speak Spanish, then learn. Or Bablefish-it or something.
Still, for those of you who are losers, here is a somewhat outdated article from The Economist.
posted by ertandberni @ 1:49 PM
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