FARC

Since the Colombian army marched into Ecuador to kill the FARC rebel group's number two Raul Reyes, a three-way brawl has erupted between presidents Chavez, Correa and Uribe. Comments from our Observers in Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador...

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Two million people got together in Bogota on Monday to voice the same message: ‘say no to the Farc'. Our Observer, who attended the event, says that it will renew the ‘collective memory' of the country. Read more...

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Will they stay or will they go? While everyone eagerly awaits the liberation of Clara Rojas, her son Emmanuel and the former lawmaker Consuelo González Pérdomo, our Observers report on the atmosphere in Colombia. The father of hostage Ismael Márquez hopes that the release of some of the prisoners will speed up the process for his son, who’s been held captive since 1999. Meanwhile, Ingrid Betancourt's stepson reminds us that as the FARC’s most high-profile hostage, she will be the last to leave. Read more...

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By Team Observers

The Colombian government has just issued the first images of the French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt since 2003. For her distraught family, the images are proof that Betancourt, who was captured by FARC rebels in Feb. 2003, is still alive. The Colombian government said the video was taken from three FARC guerillas captured by the army. For more information go to France 24.

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Material compiled by our regional editor for South America, Cristiano de Sa Fagundes

To negotiate the fate of the FARC hostages - including French-Colombian citizen Ingrid Betancourt -Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez relied on the contacts of Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba. The Chavez-Cordoba relationship and their intervention in the hostage case sparked heated online discussions in the two countries. And Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's decision to put an end to the negotiations has only fuelled the debate.

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