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Posted: Feb 15, 2010
Categories: Politics, Safety and Security, The Conflict In Colombia

Colombian Governor kidnapped and killed

By Manuel Rueda, Editorial Director

My alarm clock woke me up today with the disturbing news that the Colombian Governor of the state of Caquetá, Luis Franciso Cuellar, had been kidnapped by FARC guerrillas. 

The local media says a guerrilla commando busted into his house with explosives early Thursday morning, killed a policeman, and dragged the man out of his room.  As I write this article, El Tiempo´s website is saying that local police have found his incinerated body surrounded by explosives on a remote jungle road. 

Cuellar was 69, a rich cattle rancher from Caquetá, and had been kidnapped four previous times in his life.  The FARC had not captured such a high profile politician since they seized a group of Cali City Council members in April 2002. Today´s events are shocking, but I don´t think this means that Colombia is getting more dangerous.

According to Fondelibertad, a local NGO that monitors kidnapping cases, armed groups and common criminals seized 1,441 Colombians in the first 10 months of 2002.  In the same period of 2009 the organization reported 172 kidnappings. 

Cuellar´s kidnapping does not pose a security threat to most people who work in Colombia.  The Governor was in a rather remote part of the country where the FARC are influential and as a local cattle rancher and pro-government politician he was an obvious target for the rebel group.

Having said this, I am however very concerned for the fate of more than twenty soldiers and officers from Colombia´s armed forces who are still held captive by the FARC.  

Shortly after the news broke out President Uribe appeared on national TV, ordering a military offensive to seize Cuellar from the guerrillas. He also called off hostage negotiations saying that “nothing could be expected from these bandits” and ordered the military to intensify operations to rescue the other hostages.

Last year the government successfully liberated Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other FARC hostages though a covert military operation called “Operacion Jaque”,  but these military rescue operations have also ended up with the deaths of high profile hostages like former Culture Minister Consuelo Araujo and the former Governor of the state of Antioquia.  It´s no surprise then that the families of some of the soldiers currently held by the FARC were on the radio this morning demanding the President reconsider his hawkish strategy.

I think Uribe made these declarations because he's hot headed and politically astute.  At this moment it's convenient for him to sound like a decisive leader who is willing to be “tough on terror”, like a former U.S. President.  Having a mano dura – firm hand – against the guerrillas is appealing to Colombian voters, even if it´s not the best thing for the kidnapped soldiers and their families.

Personally, I don´t think military operations to liberate hostages are the wisest choice right now.  There are other paths to which the government has turned a blind eye.  On repeated occasions, Uribe has refused offers from the FARC to trade the kidnapped soldiers for imprisoned guerrillas.  And recently it delayed negotiations brokered by the Catholic Church over the release of Pablo Emilio Moncayo, an army officer who has been in captivity for over a decade and who was set to be released this December.

I am also shocked by the FARC´s decisions.  Why kidnap a state governor when Moncayo is set for release?  Why anger Colombian citizens and sink the organizations standing amongst the Colombian public even lower than it already is?  Opinion polls here say only 3% of Colombians have a favorable view of the FARC – and why kill Cuellar instead of keeping him alive and using him as some sort of bargaining chip?

Perhaps this action was not approved by the FARC´s general secretariat and was taken independently by a local FARC unit who had some vendetta against Cuellar.  Perhaps things got ugly as the army chased the guerrillas and the rebels decided to kill the 69 year old and run away. 

I can´t tell exactly what is going on here, but as a Colombian citizen,I feel sad and disturbed.  As often happens in the Colombian conflict, the situation gets out of control.