Amid uptick in kidnappings, Colombian family receives ‘biggest gift of all’
Al JazeeraColombia has experienced a surge in kidnappings in 2023, but negotiations with armed groups might herald a breakthrough. “We thought that kidnappings were something from our parents’ generation,” said Ana de la Peña, whose husband Fabián Arias was kidnapped on October 2 outside his mother’s house in Ocaña. In late October, the National Liberation Army — Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group — kidnapped the parents of Liverpool FC striker Luis Diaz, a popular Colombian football player. “Do not leave us alone.” Jhon Jairo’s family and friends also hosted a vigil in his hometown Cucuta, using hundreds of candles to spell a message: “Liberate him.” The local priest even held a mass in his name. We want him home.” The Office of the High Commissioner for Peace confirmed in November that Arias was being held by the ELN — the same group that kidnapped the football player’s parents.
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