Ingrid Betancourt upon her release in 2008. (archives) - MUNOZ / LEGARIA / EFE / SIPA

A former FARC guerrilla who has been the guardian of Ingrid Betancourt, the Colombian presidential candidate held hostage for more than six years, was arrested on Saturday, police said. Former FARC member Martin Sombra is one of the guerrillas who were demobilized following the 2016 peace agreement between the Communist guerrilla organization and the government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, under which Farc have turned into a political party.

Like many other guerrillas, Sombra has presented himself to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), responsible for judging crimes committed during the armed confrontation and which can decide on alternative sentences to prison for those who admit their crimes, compensate victims and renounce violence. He was arrested on Saturday in Bogota for a kidnapping in 2017, police said.

Betancourt in captivity from 2002 to 2008

"Eli Mendoza, aka Martin Sombra, was arrested on the public highway in Bogota for kidnapping for the purpose of extortion," the police said in a statement. He is detained for the kidnapping of a breeder in the department of Caqueta, in the south of Colombia, according to the press release. During their long struggle against the Colombian state, the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) have often resorted to kidnappings for political and financial purposes.

Thousands of hostages, including soldiers, police and political leaders like Ingrid Betancourt, remained in chains for up to ten years in the Colombian forest before being released, and many died in captivity. Ingrid Betancourt, a Franco-Colombian politician, then candidate for the presidency of Colombia, was kidnapped in February 2002 by the Farc and released in July 2008 during a military operation.

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  • Ingrid Betancourt
  • Hostage
  • Colombia
  • World
  • FARC