Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas freed the father of Liverpool soccer star Luis Díaz on Thursday after kidnapping him in the north of the country almost two weeks ago, the government said.
The kidnapping of Luis Manuel Díaz has disrupted the government's peace talks with the ELN, which restarted last year in hopes of ending the group's involvement in Colombia's 60-year conflict, which has killed at least 450,000 people. The two sides began a six-month ceasefire in August.
Local television channels showed Díaz's father on a landing strip in the city of Valledupar, in the Colombian department of Cesar, after disembarking from a helicopter.
The government's negotiating delegation in peace talks with the ELN said in a statement that it welcomed the release and that Díaz was safe and well, but that the kidnapping "should never have happened."
"The current process with the ELN has advanced like no other to date. In any case, our delegation considers that the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Díaz has put our dialogue in a critical situation and therefore the time has come to make decisions to eliminate kidnapping," the statement said.
All people held by the ELN must be released, the statement added, although it did not provide a number of remaining hostages. Guerrilla groups in Colombia have historically used kidnapping as a pressure and fundraising tactic.
The ELN said a week ago it would release Díaz, but his release was delayed amid a tug-of-war between the group and the government. The rebels said military operations were hampering liberation efforts, which the army denied.
Díaz and his wife Cilenis Marulanda were kidnapped by armed men while they were driving in the province of La Guajira. Marulanda was released a few hours later. The government is trying to open negotiations with several armed groups, but talks with the ELN are the most advanced.
In September, Reuters exclusively reported that Colombian security sources expected at least 40% of ELN fighters could reject a potential peace deal and remain armed.
The ELN's atomized command structure has long been a concern for security analysts and critics of the talks, who have warned that the group's most radical units are unlikely to adhere to an agreement.
