After days of expectation and concern about their whereabouts, in the last few hours the first images of the five police officers released by the National Liberation Army (ELN) in the Catatumbo region, in the northeast of the country, were known. The photographs and videos released show the uniformed men being received by National Police agents and assistance personnel after their delivery to a humanitarian commission.
The agents — identified as Daniel de Jesús Granada Quiroz, Ramón Alberto Coronel Medina, Edwin Fabián Manosalva Contreras, José Ricardo Carrillo Romero and Carlos Eduardo Barrera — have been deprived of their liberty since January 6, when they were detained while traveling in civilian clothes on a public service bus on the road between El Zulia and Tibú, in Norte de Santander.
According to official reports, the uniformed men were handed over to a humanitarian commission and, after their release, they received a medical evaluation. It was indicated that they are in good health, despite having been held captive for almost two weeks in a rural area.
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The release was possible thanks to the intervention of a humanitarian commission made up of the Ombudsman’s Office, the Catholic Church and the United Nations Verification Mission, which led the efforts for the safe delivery of the police officers and worked discreetly since the retention was confirmed to avoid a more serious outcome.
This event occurs in a context of persistent violence in Catatumbo, a border region with Venezuela marked by the presence of illegal armed groups, including the ELN, as well as FARC dissidents and other structures that seek to control illicit routes and activities.
When the first images of the liberation became known, the families of those in uniform expressed relief and gratitude for the return of their loved ones, while the authorities reiterated the call to the armed groups to immediately and unconditionally release all the people who are still kidnapped in different regions of the country.