Politics
18:18, 24-Jun-2017
Colombia's ELN rebels free two kidnapped Dutch journalists
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Rebels with Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) group have freed two Dutch journalists snatched days ago in the country's northeast, officials said on Saturday.
Colombia's ombudsman office, which handles human rights issues, wrote on Twitter that the rebel group freed reporter Derk Johannes Bolt, 62, and his cameraman Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender, 58, in a rural area of Norte de Santander state.
The announcement came after rebels issued what turned out an erroneous announcement earlier Friday stating that the two men, kidnapped on June 19, had been released.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders early Saturday confirmed that the journalists had been freed.
"Derk Bolt and Eugenio Follender were released today in the very dangerous region of Catatumbo in northern Colombia," he said, adding that the families of both men have been informed and that the ambassador has been able to speak with them.
The Dutch diplomat later issued a follow-up statement, relating details from a brief conversation he was able to have with one of the journalists.
The ELN, with 1,500 fighters, is the last guerrilla group still active in Colombia.
(Source: AFP)