In December 2005, Switzerland, France and Spain put forth a proposal to negotiate a humanitarian exchange between hostages kidnapped by the guerrilla group FARC-EP and members of the group being held in prisons by the Colombian government. The proposal sets out a period of 45 days for discussions to be held and the exchange carried out, during which security guarantees would be provided through the ICRC and the UN. But since the proposal was made, neither party have been able to come to an agreement. This has been due to the FARC’s insistence on the demilitarisation of two municipalities in the department of el Valle prior to the exchange, which is strongly opposed by Colombia’s President, Alvaro Uribe, because it counters his policy of increased army and police presence throughout the country.

In the midst of this deadlock, the proposed exchange has been further complicated by the government’s decision to unilaterally release 200 guerrilla prisoners, which included the so-called “Foreign Minister” of the FARC, Rodrigo Granda. Uribe has failed to give a coherent explanation for this move but it seems that he manoeuvred the high-profile release to coincide with the G8 summit, with the likely intention of bringing increased international pressure on the FARC to release hostages unilaterally.  The FARC has welcomed the release of Granda, but claim the release of the other prisoners to be a farce, characterising them all as deserters and continue to insist that any release must come about as part of a humanitarian exchange involving the demilitarisation.

All this is a major obstacle to the proposed humanitarian exchange, which is consequently placing the lives of the civilian hostages in danger.  Indeed there is significant support for the exchange within Colombia and a delegation composed of several victim’s family members and various high-profile Colombian personalities visited Europe this last week in an attempt to foster further international support for the proposal.  Tragically however, their trip has coincided with an announcement by the FARC claiming that 11 of the 12 members of parliament held hostage from the department of Valle del Cauca were killed in the crossfire during a military attack on the compound where they were being held. The government denies there were any military operations in the area on the date alleged by the FARC.

This recent loss of life renews the importance of carrying out the humanitarian exchange and ensuring the release of civilian hostages. The political barriers that have been set by the FARC and the government (which has the specific responsibility to protect its citizens) need to be removed as the exchange does not signify the initiation of peace talks - it simply represents the application of international humanitarian law under Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which requires both parties to protect the lives of civilians and those who have laid down their arms. The de-politicisation of humanitarianism in Colombia is essential in order to avoid further tragedies like the one witnessed recently.