Colombia: four Chinese nationals released

Four Chinese nationals were handed over today to delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). 

They were released by an unidentified group in a rural part of San Vicente del Caguán municipality, in Caquetá department.

The ICRC facilitated the handover at the request of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Colombia and of the families. 

After informing the Colombian authorities, the ICRC delegates accompanied the released men to San Vicente del Caguán, from where they were taken to Bogotá in a plane chartered by the Chinese Embassy.

"This is wonderful news for the families, who had been waiting and wondering about the fate of their loved ones for so long," said Jordi Raich, head of the ICRC delegation in Colombia. "

The ICRC is pleased to have contributed to the successful outcome of the operation."

The four Chinese nationals had been working for an oil company in Los Pozos, Caquetá, when they were abducted on 8 June 2.011. 

Since then, nothing was known of their fate.

This operation brings to 29 the number of people in Colombia whose release has been facilitated by the ICRC this year, and to 1,504 people in all since 1.994.