Colombian rebels hand over Dutch journalists

Bogota June 24 (IANS) Colombia s National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels handed over two Dutch journalists kidnapped a week ago in the Catatumbo forest region to a humanitarian commission an official statement said on Saturday.

In a rural area of Catatumbo in Norte de Santander the two Dutch journalists were handed over (on Friday night) by the ELN to a Commission of Colombian Human Rights Ombudsman Efe news quoted the statement as saying.

Derk Johannes Bolt and cameraman Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender of the Dutch entertainment programme Spoorloos were kidnapped by the ELN on June 17 from Filogringo village.

The statement did not reveal the location of the hand over but a photograph showed the two men along with government officials.

In another photograph the journalists appear to be in good condition accompanied by the ELN guerrillas in camouflage who covered the lower part of their faces with the armed group s flags.

The release of Bolt and Follender occurred after the ELN which has been holding peace negotiations with the government announced their release earlier on Friday via their radio station ELN Ranpal.

However hours later Ranpal clarified that it was a mistake and that the two journalists were still in captivity.

But they were finally released on Friday night.

In May 2016 the Colombian-Spanish journalist Salud Hernandez was kidnapped by ELN in the same area of Filogringo and days later a group of reporters working on assignment in the area was taken hostage.

--IANS
ksk/bg