Luis Diaz’s Father Rescued from Terrorist Group: Colombian Media Provides Latest Release Update
In this article, Luis Diaz’s father, Manuel, is on the brink of being released after the Colombian government confirmed his kidnapping by a terrorist group. Both of the Liverpool star’s parents were taken from a petrol station on a Saturday, but his mother was fortunately released on the same day. Unfortunately, Manuel has not yet been located, and a significant search effort is underway in the northern La Guajira region of Colombia.
The Colombian government has identified the National Liberation Army (ELN) as the criminal group responsible for the abductions. Colombian outlet El Tiempo reports that the ELN is expected to cooperate with the police to facilitate Manuel’s return in the coming hours.
Notably, Colombian journalist Vicky Davila asserts that the ELN may have been unaware that they had kidnapped Luis Diaz’s father and suggests they will request his release promptly. The government became aware of the ELN’s involvement while engaged in peace talks with the group.
Government representative Otty Patino, responsible for the peace talks, declared, “Today we have officially learned that the kidnapping carried out on October 28, in Barrancas, the department of La Guajira, in which Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda, the father and mother of the soccer player Luis Fernando, were victims, was perpetrated by a unit belonging to the ELN. Although Mrs. Marulanda was released a few hours later, the player’s father has been kidnapped for five days.”
The government is calling for the immediate release of Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz and reminds the ELN that kidnapping is a criminal act, a violation of International Humanitarian Law, and their responsibility is to ensure his safety and integrity. The government is taking this case to the current Monitoring and Verification Mechanism as part of the Ceasefire agreement to secure Mr. Diaz’s immediate and safe release.