Mélanie watched over by her mother's portraitThe following are translations of three articles (28, 30 & 31/03/2008) from the French newspaper Le Figaro:
“Ingrid Betancourt’s state of health has deteriorated a great, great deal”, revealed the senior civil-servant Volmar Perez yesterday [Thursday 27th March 2008] in Bogota on Radio Caracol. The hostage’s condition has worsened since the latest video footage was taken of her in November 2007. Perez, who is an independent figure and the Colombian State’s Mediator, explained that he had been to the South-Western Guaviare region and had collected worrying first-hand testimonials. The Revolutionary FARC had been forced to seek medical treatment for their captive. “We were able to confirm that Ingrid Betancourt had been treated in [rural] community clinics”, detailed the Colombian official.
According to the information collected by Perez, the hostage is suffering from Leishmaniasis, a very disabling skin disease transmitted via mosquito bites, and a series of complications due to her recurring hepatitis B infection. These details confirm those made by Luis Eladio Perez, who was set-free recently and saw Ingrid Betancourt in the jungle last month.
“As thin as the children in Somalia”
[…] On Tuesday, the newspaper of Medellin ‘El Colombiano’, published eye-witness accounts from farmers of the Guaviare region who say they encountered Ingrid Betancourt who was “as thin as the children in Somalia”.
A Falcon 900 belonging to the French Republic landed Friday night in French Guyana and is prepared to treat Ingrid Betancourt in the hypothesis that the hostage would be freed by the FARC, confirmed the Elysée Palace according to the [French] newspaper ‘Journal du Dimanche’.
The ‘flying ambulance’ arrived on Friday and is “operational at any moment” prepared to administer Ingrid Betancourt with “appropriate treatment”. “We have no information concerning a possible imminent release, but we want to place all possible chances on our side”, detailed the Elysée Palace. Another positive sign is the message made by the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe directed to the FARC (the Franco-Colombian’s kidnappers): “We guarantee the freedom of those guerrilla-fighters who hand over their hostages, and we shall protect their families”, he assured – also promising them a prize of 100 million dollars.
However, this mobilisation is not enough to reassure Ingrid Betancourt’s family and friends. Her ex-husband Fabrice Delloye, fears that the Franco-Colombian hostage is “at the point of dying, or is already deceased”.
Referring to the worrying news concerning the hostage’s state of health, made by the Colombian government the day before, he continued: “I’m wondering whether Bogota [the Colombian government] doesn’t already hold vital information which we do not have, and whether they are not ‘opening the umbrella’ [i.e.: releasing snippets of information in a controlled manner to minimise the effects of the whole truth]”, in order to cover themselves.
The Franco-Colombian, who is suffering from a [recurrent] hepatitis B infection and who has been described as “very ill and extremely fragile”, had received treatment from the guerrilla-fighters in a [rural] community clinic at the end of last month.
The exchange proposition judged illegal
Another source of worry for those close to Ingrid Betancourt, is that the humanitarian exchange proposition of several FARC rebels, imprisoned by Bogota and exchanged for the Senator [Betancourt], is judged illegal. On Friday night Mario Iguaran, the Colombian Attorney General, cut dead Ingrid Betancourt’s family and friends’ hopes.
“The Attorney General’s office stands behind the presidential decree, but only on condition that the conditional suspended sentence, or alternative sentence, is granted once a humanitarian accord takes place and all the FARC held hostages have been released”, was the explanation given on Friday night.
In other words, the FARC must liberate all their hostages before Colombia will consider freeing their fellow imprisoned men – which is precisely what they refuse to do. They demand the setting free of 500 guerrilla-fighters in exchange for 39 hostages called ‘political figures’, including Ingrid Betancourt.
Ingrid’s sister, Astrid Betancourt, who highlights that today “nothing concretely” permits “to say that the irreparable has taken place” concerning her sister, and urged the FARC “in the case that my sister’s state of health worsened, to contact the Venezuelan, French or Swiss authorities” in order that they may intervene medically. Alvaro Uribe, who made a visit to the San José del Guaviare region (where Ingrid was seen in late February) on Saturday, called for those who are holding her to desert the guerrilla force.
*UPDATE 31 March 2008:
Jet Returns to Mainland France
The Falcon 900 jet has now left French Guyana and returned to Europe, however another jet shall remain on standby in France. Ingrid’s ex-husband, Fabrice Delloye, stated that “For me, this is an expression of what France has been doing for Ingrid since Nicolas Sarkozy has taken charge of the matter, but I remain very worried. The Colombian government has presented a new rushed plan. I hope that it is not just a means to wash its hands in the case of a fatal outcome for Ingrid”.
Worrying silence from the FARC
During President Alvaro Uribe’s weekly declaration to the Colombian people, he reiterated the 100 million dollar prize to the guerrillas who would desert the FARC and hand over their hostages. He also asked the army to redouble its efforts in localising the hostages, describing such a move as a “humanitarian action”. However, the reinforcement of troops risks complicating even further any contacts with the FARC leaders, which is indispensable if the plan to exchange hostages for prisoners (announced Thurday by Uribe), is to be believed. The silence of Hugo Chavez these past few days, seems to confirm the impression that the FARC have cut all channels of communication since the killing of Raul Reyes [the second in command] in Ecuador. One the one hand, because he was one of the only FARC members in constant contact with the exterior, and particularly with the Venezuelan President Chavez; and on the other hand, since the military operation against him, the FARC leaders are have redoubled in prudence concerning communication and movement for fear of another large-scale attack by the Colombian army.
Bad scenario…
The fragile hopes raised by President Uribe’s proposition on Thursday (via the High-Commissioner for Peace Luis Castro Restrepo), dwindle more with each passing day. The Colombian Attorney General Mario Iguaran has declared that the law does not authorise the release of risoners, especially if they are accuse of ‘crimes against humanity’. Also, many of the guerrilla-fighters held prisoner refuse to take part of an exchange.
All depends on the choices which shall be made by the FARC after the serious blows it has received from the Colombian army, these past few weeks. Either they change their strategy and open-up to the propositions of those like [the ex-hostage] Luis Eladio Perez, or they retreat into the jungle in order to rebuild their forces – however, Ingrid Betancourt would probably not survive in that case. Yet, her death would be the worst scenario for the FARC. “It is now more urgent than ever that the general public mobilizes itself. That is why we are organising a ‘March in White’ this coming Sunday (6th April 2008) across France – in Paris we shall depart from the Paris Opera [Garnier] at 2:30pm”, announced Hervé Marro of the Ingrid Betancourt Support Committee.
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