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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Colombian hostage escapes with rebel jailer |
| 2008-10-27 |
| A 62-year-old lawmaker held captive eight years by leftist rebels walked to freedom in a western Colombia jungle on Sunday along with the young guerrilla commander who had been his jailer. Whoa! I think I seen this movie! President Alvaro Uribe said the rebel and his girlfriend would be rewarded with asylum in France. Yeah, and she's played by Liv Ullman or somebody... Oscar Tulio Lizcano is the first Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia hostage to gain freedom since the July 2 rescue of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors. His escape is yet another blow to Latin America's last major rebel army, which is battling record desertions under withering pressure from Colombia's U.S.-backed military. The white-bearded Lizcano encountered a military road checkpoint three days after escaping with the leader of the unit that held him. He looked haggard in a grimy black shirt and muddy training pants during Sunday's news conference at a military base in the western city of Cali. He apologized for his somewhat incoherent speech, saying his captors had forbidden him to speak. He thanked "the person who had the courage, the valor to leave with me." "I was really sick," he said, seated in a chair beside a standing Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos and police and military commanders. He said he had eaten little while on the run with his 28-year-old captor, known only by the alias "Isaza." Lizcano was taken to a clinic, where doctors said he was dehydrated and had signs of malnutrition. Santos said the escape followed the Oct. 10 desertion of a second rebel, alias "Moroco," from the camp where Lizcano was being held. He said that guerrilla disclosed Lizcano's precise whereabouts to authorities, who already had a rough idea of the location and had been strangling the rebels' supply routes. Santos put their number at about eight women and six men. Lizcano said food was so scarce in the camp that he ate a lot palm hearts and sugar cane in recent weeks. Colombia's military has in recent months put withering pressure on the guerrillas known as the FARC, killing or capturing top commanders and spurring record desertions and betrayals among rebels with lucrative reward offers. Uribe said "Isaza" would receive an as-yet unspecified cash reward and asylum in France along with his girlfriend. He made the announcement as he prepared to meet in Cali with leaders of some 30,000 Indians who had marched to the city demanding land and justice in the murders of indigenous laters. The young rebel, a patch over his left eye covering a 4-year-old wound, beamed at the news. Late last year, France offered asylum to any FARC rebels who demobilized, part of an effort to secure the release of hostages including Betancourt, a dual French national. "The French government has now told us that it accepts having Isaza in France," Uribe said. Lizcano was kidnapped on Aug. 5, 2000. The government's peace commissioner, Luis Carlos Restrepo, had said last week without providing details that FARC deserters had reported Lizcano's health was delicate. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 Lizcano to Rebels: "FARC You!" |
| Posted by: WilliamMarcyTweed 2008-10-27 17:59 |
| #4 All FARC has to do is hold out till January, then the US funding and intel will change sides, and Uribe will be a goner. seems I remember some information on a hard drive on a laptop to that effect a while back... some e-mails that were captured when they killed some FARC big-wig. |
| Posted by: Abu do you love 2008-10-27 13:49 |
| #3 Hoogo needs to "take one for the people". The sooner, the better. Preferably before any change in Washington. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-10-27 13:27 |
| #2 sorry Hugo. Bet he's talking... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-10-27 08:04 |
| #1 Who will be the last FARC guerilla? President Uribe is doing impressive work, with a little help from his friends. With FARC dropping out of the cocaine trade, is this opportunity for the drug lords or peril? |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2008-10-27 04:29 |