By CAFOD

Caritas Colombia continues to seek international support for the "humanitarian exchange" of captives between the Colombian government and guerrillas despite the deaths of eleven hostages

The killing of eleven deputies held captive by the FARC guerrillas in Colombia has set back hopes for a revival of peace talks between the government and guerrillas based on an exchange of captives.

The eleven representatives, from a regional assembly in Valle del Cauca, were killed in unexplained circumstances.

The Colombian government claims they were murdered by the FARC, but the FARC insist they were killed in crossfire after an attack by an "unidentified armed group".

Church solidarity

Ironically as the news broke, Caritas Colombia was hosting a conference of the international Catholic Peace-building Network.

In a statement on behalf of the conference, Caritas Colombia president Archbishop Rubén Salazar and director Mgr Héctor Fabio Henao, said: “With sadness we heard the news of the tragic events which cost the lives of the 11 deputies from the Valle del Cauca, kidnapped by the FARC five years ago.

"We hope that the matter will be fully investigated. Knowledge of the truth about such events is fundamental to the search for truth in any armed conflict; it is also a right of the victims and their families.

"The conference expresses its solidarity the families of all those who have been kidnapped in Colombia. We urge the parties to the conflict to continue to look for mechanisms that will lead to solutions guaranteeing the fastest possible return home in safety of all those kidnapped and a solution to the humanitarian conflict.

"We are walking with them and supporting them in building a lasting peace for Colombia.”

Church leader’s plea

The leader of Colombia’s Catholics, Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro, was in London recently as part of a delegation seeking international support for the "humanitarian exchange" of captives between government and guerrillas.

Archbishop Castro explained that the Colombian government recently released nearly 200 FARC guerrillas but, because it did so without consulting the FARC, the guerrilla group is now refusing to honour its promise to release 57 captives.

Archbishop Castro condemned the politicisation of the issue and called for support from the international community: "We insist that humanitarian considerations take priority over political considerations. We believe your support is very important."

CAFOD’s Andes programme manager Francis McDonagh comments: ‘The deaths of these deputies are a grim reminder of how complex the situation in Colombia is and how difficult it is to establish a basis of trust for negotiations.

"CAFOD endorses the Colombian Church’s plea that the humanitarian crisis not be politicised. The plight of the victims must come first."

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