Ransom vs video

 

Already yesterday there were rumours emerging about a possible ransom deal for Ingrid Betancourt and the 14 other hostages freed on Thursday in Colombia. Apparently, the elaborate work of the Colombian forces – infiltrating FARC over the past few months and brokering a fake transfer of hostages – just seems too good to be true. And given how ransoms are common in other parts of the world, one can understand why detractors might think money must have eased the situation.

 

But we must trust the Colombian government, which has been dealing with FARC for decades and, given the recent setbacks to the rebels (such as the death of one key leader), was able to concoct an ingenious method by which to fool the group. A government video that emerged today confirms this, providing a first-hand look at how the military rescued the hostages. Nevertheless, one can only be concerned for the remaining hundreds of hostages, and consider that one such success may not work a second time around.

 

A scene from the video