The rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) confirmed on Friday that a boy in a state-run orphanage is the son of hostage Clara Rojas, the Bolivarian News Agency said on its website.
The news agency quoted a FARC statement as saying that the boy named Emmanuel Rojas, whom the rebels had claimed to be in their custody, is in the care of Colombia's Social Welfare Institute (ClBF).
Emmanuel the son born by FARC hostage Clara Rojas after she was kidnapped by the rebel group in 2002.
The confirmation from the FARC came after DNA tests showed that the boy's DNA matched that of Rojas' relatives, suggesting a high possibility that the boy is the son of the woman hostage.
The FARC had earlier promised to hand over Rojas, Emmanuel and former legislator Consuelo Gonzalez in late December but the release was aborted when the rebels alleged the Colombian government had launched a military operation against them.
The Colombian government denied the military operation. President Alvaro Uribe said the FARC suspended the release because they are no longer holding Emmanuel, as the boy is in the care of the ClBF under the name Juan David Gomez.
Despite the confirmation that the boy is not in their custody, the FARC said in the statement that the release of Rojas and Gonzalez "will go ahead as planned, just as we proposed to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article