COLOMBIA
Colombian boy identified as Emmanuel, hostage's son
Friday, January 4, 2008
DNA tests indicate that a child living in a Colombian foster home is Emmanuel, the son of FARC hostage Clara Rojas, a Colombian official said.
Friday, January 4, 2008
By Reuters
BOGOTA, Jan 4 (Reuters) - A boy whom Colombian rebels
promised to release last week has been living in the country's
foster care system since 2005, a source in the attorney
general's office said on Friday, citing DNA test results.
promised to release last week has been living in the country's
foster care system since 2005, a source in the attorney
general's office said on Friday, citing DNA test results.
The revelation -- first made by Colombian President Alvaro
Uribe earlier this week -- was a blow to the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which claimed to be holding
the three- or four-year-old child and promised last month to
turn him over to Hugo Chavez, the left-wing leader of
neighboring Venezuela.
Uribe earlier this week -- was a blow to the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which claimed to be holding
the three- or four-year-old child and promised last month to
turn him over to Hugo Chavez, the left-wing leader of
neighboring Venezuela.
The hostage-release deal -- which included the child named
Emmanuel, his mother Clara Rojas and a kidnapped lawmaker named
Consuelo Gonzalez -- crumbled on Monday after Colombia said
Emmanuel had already been secretly handed over to state child
welfare authorities.
Emmanuel, his mother Clara Rojas and a kidnapped lawmaker named
Consuelo Gonzalez -- crumbled on Monday after Colombia said
Emmanuel had already been secretly handed over to state child
welfare authorities.
Emmanuel was born to Rojas and one of her guerrilla captors
in an insect-infested jungle camp where hostages are poorly fed
and often chained, according to former captives.
in an insect-infested jungle camp where hostages are poorly fed
and often chained, according to former captives.
He is seen as a symbol of the young victims of Colombia's
four-decade-old guerrilla war and became a national obsession
this week when Uribe said he was mistreated by his captors
before being turned over.
four-decade-old guerrilla war and became a national obsession
this week when Uribe said he was mistreated by his captors
before being turned over.
DNA tests results show "a high probability" that Uribe was
correct, the source in the attorney general's office said.
correct, the source in the attorney general's office said.
"The scientific proof indicates that the child in the care
of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute is Clara Rojas's
child. There is a small margin or error but a second test will
be performed in Spain to provide confirmation," the source
said.
of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute is Clara Rojas's
child. There is a small margin or error but a second test will
be performed in Spain to provide confirmation," the source
said.
Emmanuel's name and other details of his life in guerrilla
custody were revealed last year by a police officer who escaped
the rebels after eight years in captivity, sometimes in the
same camps as Rojas and her son.
custody were revealed last year by a police officer who escaped
the rebels after eight years in captivity, sometimes in the
same camps as Rojas and her son.
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Friday, January 4, 2008
The FARC offensive in Colombia
By Kenneth T. Tellis
The leader of FARC Manuel Marulanda has ordered an offensive against the Colombian forces of U.S. puppet Alvaro Uribe. This could change the whole situation in Colombia.
If FARC attacks Colombian cities, this crisis could end up like the Kuomintang China, when Mao Zedong defeated them. The fats in the fire and history will blame Alvaro Uribe for his intransigence. But, this time the whole of Latin America will be involved.
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STEVEN AMBRUS
04/01/08 Newsweek Correspondent in Bogota
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- 04/01/08 Newsweek Correspondent in Bogota
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