Colombia’s military fanned out through the jungles of the country’s north-west on Monday in the hunt for a general whose kidnap by presumed leftist Farc rebels has put two years of peace talks in limbo.
The defence minister, Juan Carlos Pinzón, directed the search from the remote provincial capital of Quibdó near where General Rubén Darío Alzate was abducted along with two others on Sunday.
In a nationally televised address on Monday night the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, reiterated that peace talks that began two years ago in Havana would be suspended until the hostages were freed. “Colombians demand their release,” he said.
The Farc negotiators in Havana did not respond to requests for comment on Monday on the suspension of the talks and the general’s abduction but announced they would make a statement on Tuesday.
“It is time for them [the Farc]to show their commitment to the process,” Santos said. “I demand that the Farc show their will for peace through actions and not just through words.”
Since the two sides sat down to negotiate an end to Colombia’s 50-year-old internal conflict, the negotiators have achieved more progress than any previous effort to broker peace. However the talks have proceeded without a ceasefire. The Farc have repeatedly called for a bilateral truce but the government insists this would only serve to allow the Farc to regroup militarily.
Santos said that regardless of the absence of a ceasefire the Farc actions were undermining the public’s confidence in the peace process. “The Farc need to understand that peace is not achieved by stepping up their violent actions,” he said.
Farc has been increasing its activities, including the killing of two unarmed members of the Nasa indigenous community and last week the capture of two soldiers after combat.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it would mediate to try to secure the hostages’ release. “We hope to do everything possible to return these three people to their loved ones,” an ICRC spokeswoman said.
Alzate, who was travelling as a civilian along with a corporal and civilian lawyer, was approached by a small group of men shortly after arriving in the village of Las Mercedes on Sunday afternoon, residents of the village told local news media. Minutes later the general and his companions were led away. It was unclear why he was travelling without his uniform and usual security detail.
