|
|
|
Weekly News Update on Colombia #506
Ecuador: rebels free four hostages
Spanish citizen Ander Mimenza was released by an armed group in Ecuador
on Sept. 26, after being held for two weeks with 11 other foreigners, all
kidnapped on Sept. 11 [see Update #503]. Mimenza said on Sept. 28 that
the kidnappers were not seeking ransom, and that the hostages were not
being mistreated. The kidnappers, believed to be leftist rebels, gave him
no ransom note or any other kind of message when they released him, he
said. Mimenza said the rebels appeared to be well trained but did not talk
in front of the hostages, except occasionally to give them orders. Some
spoke like Colombians, others like Ecuadorans, and some might even have
been Peruvian, said Mimenza. They were all Latin American, he emphasized.
Mimenza said that the rebels "demanded more respect from the government
and multinational oil companies for the indigenous people and campesinos
of the area. He got the impression that the group of armed kidnappers had
grievances against the Canadian oil company, Alberta Energy Co., which
is operating through a subsidiary in the area. Those kidnapped included
seven Canadians and one US national working for the company. The kidnappers
had talked about the lack of respect shown by the oil company toward the
local farmers, and Mimenza said he believed they had intended to kidnap
only the oil workers. Earlier reports said that local farmers had been
complaining for some time that the subsidiary of the Alberta Energy Co.
had not given them fair compensation for the land the company had taken
to build the pipeline. [UPI 9/28/99; AP 9/28/99]
The three remaining hostages who were not oil workers were released
on Oct. 9. The three were Mimenza's sister, Maria Mimenza; her husband,
Jesus Magunagoikoetxea; and Sabine Roblain, a Belgian/Canadian citizen
who is a colleague of Ander Mimenza's from the Latin American Radiophonic
Education Association (ALER). [CNN en Espanol 10/9/99 with info from Reuters]
The hostage oil workers were employed by United Pipeline of Edmonton;
they were introducing a new technology to Ecuador, inserting a plastic
liner into an existing pipeline that parallels the highway. The Canadians
are Neil Barber, Steven Brent, Rod Dunbar, Colin Fraser, Barry Meyer, Grant
Rankin and Brent Scheeler; the US national is Leonard Carter. The pipeline
belongs to City Investing Company, an Ecuadoran firm bought three years
ago by Alberta Energy Co. [Ottawa Citizen 9/27/99]
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were originally blamed
for the kidnapping in Ecuador, although a FARC spokesperson denied responsibility.
Some sources--mainly in the US--have continued to suggest FARC involvement,
as it fits into a thesis that Colombia's guerrilla war is expanding into
neighboring countries. But many observers--including Canadian member of
parliament David Kilgour, who paid a four-day visit to Ecuador in late
September to investigate the case--believe the FARC is not involved. Ecuadoran
national police chief Jorge Villarroel suggested that the kidnappers may
be "not one subversive group in particular but a mixed group of Colombian
and Ecuadoran dissidents." [El Colombiano (Medellin) 10/6/99 from EFE;
AFP 9/29/99; Ottawa Citizen 9/27/99]
Soldiers convicted for shooting civilians
On Oct. 1, a Colombian military court convicted 21 soldiers for opening
fire on cars at a roadblock on Jan. 24, 1998 near Villeta, 35 miles northwest
of Bogota in Cundinamarca department [see Update #418]. A captain, a lieutenant,
three lower-ranking officers and 16 foot soldiers were charged with the
shooting, which left five civilians dead and six injured. As of late on
Oct. 1, the army press office had no details on the sentences. Days after
the shooting, top army officials had admitted the troops made a mistake
in firing on a group of civilian vehicles on a busy highway. Soldiers claimed
the cars were caught in a crossfire with rebels who buzzed by on motorcycles,
firing at the troops. [AP 10/1/99]
|
