SPECIAL COVERAGE
Ingrid Betancourt rescued
Captured by the FARC guerilla rebels in 2002, the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt was rescued on July 2, 2008 during a jungle operation carried out by the Colombian army.
Colombian-French politician Ingrid Betancourt is finally free after being held captive for six years in secret jungle camps controlled by the Colombian rebel group FARC. Betancourt was rescued with 14 other hostages on July 2, 2008 in a Colombian military operation which involved infiltrating the inner circle of the FARC.
Betancourt was kidnapped while campaigning for the presidential elections in 2002, when she attempted to enter the demilitarised zone bordering on FARC territory. The feisty presidential candidate travelled through the jungle without an escort.
False hopes for Betancourt’s release were raised when two other hostages, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzales, were freed on January 10, 2008.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy had made Betancourt's release a priority since his election in May 2007. International attention was raised a notch when Venezuela’s president, leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, stepped in to mediate the release of the hostages.
Ingrid Betancourt was one of the several hundred hostages reported to be held by the Marxist guerrilla, which controls large swathes of Colombia’s jungle.
Betancourt gets hero's welcome in France
French-Colombian ex-hostage Ingrid Betancourt said she owed her life to France as she arrived home to an emotional welcome.
Ingrid: "treated like an animal" in captivity
After her press conference at the French Embassy, Ingrid Betancourt told France 2 television about her six-year ordeal at the hands of FARC rebels. FRANCE 24's Cyril Vanier reports from Bogotá.
Ingrid Betancourt: a profile
Ingrid Betancourt: the "Colombian Joan of Arc".
F24 exclusive interview with Hugo Chavez
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spoke to FRANCE 24's Pascale Mariani and Roméo Langlois about his negotiations with FARC leaders on the release of hostages.
Pour aller plus loin
- 05/07/2008 : For doubters, video of Betancourt rescue released
- 03/07/2008 : Ingrid Betancourt reunited with her family
- 03/07/2008 : Liberation is 'a miracle', says Betancourt
- 03/07/2008 : Ingrid Betancourt free at last
- 19/05/2008 : Top FARC commander surrenders in Colombia
- 14/05/2008 : Correa offers hope on Betancourt
- 08/04/2008 : FARC rejects French medical aid to Betancourt
- 05/04/2008 : Colombians rally to urge FARC hostages' release
- 04/04/2008 : The gateway to ‘FARC territory’
- 02/04/2008 : Sarkozy calls on FARC leader to release Betancourt
- 28/03/2008 : Colombia offers to swap rebels for Betancourt
- 27/03/2008 : Betancourt 'very ill'
- 09/03/2008 : Venezuela restores ties with Colombia
- 05/03/2008 : Reyes death mars hope for Betancourt release
- 04/03/2008 : Colombia accuses FARC of making dirty bombs
- 01/03/2008 : Number two FARC leader killed by Colombian army
- 28/02/2008 : Astrid Betancourt: ‘worried, but optimistic’
- 27/02/2008 : Freed hostages arrive in Caracas
- 22/02/2008 : Ingrid Betancourt: six years in captivity
- 10/01/2008 : Hostages arrive in Caracas
- 24/12/2007 : FARC order release of Betancourt aide
- 24/12/2007 : Ingrid Betancourt: a profile
- 09/12/2007 : Uribe agrees to 'meeting zone' for hostage talks
- 06/12/2007 : FARC rebels warn Sarkozy against criticism
- 05/12/2007 : Ingrid Betancourt's letter
- 05/06/2007 : Rebels demand demilitarized zone
- 09/06/2007 : FARC: hostage release still elusive
- 05/06/2007 : Mass demo to demand hostages' release
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HOSTAGES: A PORTRAIT
28/02
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SPECIAL REPORT
27/02
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6 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY
A solid mobilization is expected this weekend
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LORENZO BETANCOURT'S APPEAL
LORENZO BETANCOURT'S APPEAL
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TOP STORY
Colombia : Chavez mediation stalls
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Melanie Betancourt
Daughter of Ingrid Betancourt
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Ingrid Betancourt's mother
Ingrid Betancourt's mother
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Relatives of FARC hostages speak out
Relatives of FARC hostages speak out
