Betancourt, hostage rescue is big international news

A lot of people have probably never heard the name Ingrid Betancourt. Similarly, a lot of people probably didn’t even know that three American hostages have been held in Colombia since 2002. I knew nothing of the hostage situation until I took a class on Latin American civil wars last semester.

If this is the first time you’re hearing about this situation, or if you haven’t kept up with it, you might be asking a few questions. First of all, who is Ingrid Betancourt? Betancourt is a Colombian politician who, while running for President in 2002, was kidnapped by FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), a guerrilla group who has been operating against the government in Colombia since the 1960’s. Betancourt was campaigning in an area of Colombia known for guerrilla activity, and FARC seized the opportunity to gain political leverage and kidnapped Betancourt. Negotiations for Betancourt’s release have been attempted, but failed. She was finally rescued today by Colombian security forces.

Secondly, why was FARC holding American hostages and who are they? The Americans held by FARC were Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalvez, and Keith Stansell. These men were taken hostage because the FARC claimed that they were U.S. spies. The United States claimed that the men were simply anti-drug contractors. FARC did not kidnap the Americans for no reason; they have always been wary of the United States, for various reasons. Perhaps the most damning of the allegations is that certain American companies had business ties with Colombian paramilitary groups. Drummond Coal Company and Chiquita Bananas were among the accused businesses. In 2007, three mine officials were murdered by paramilitaries, and Drummond was accused of being tied to the murders, but were ultimately not held liable. Chiquita, however, was found guilty of making payments to a paramilitary group, but was fined a measly sum totaling less than 1% of their annual income.

Betancourt came under fire for a book she had written in which she claimed that not only was the Colombian government in bed with FARC, but that the United States government was in the same bed. It wouldn’t be the first time that the US government meddled in the affairs of Colombian politics. The Reagan administration made the news in the 1980’s when they ruled a Colombian election invalid and forced another election. The Iran Contra Affair was also tied to the situation in Colombia.

With the hostage rescues occurring only hours ago, it is yet to be seen how it will affect Colombian politics. FARC lost a huge bargaining chip today, perhaps a sign that their power is continuing to wane.