Kidnappings in Colombia are on the rise following 10 years of steady decline, according to official statistics released Monday.
According to a report by Fondelibertad, a defense agency in charge of monitoring kidnappings in the country, 220 people were kidnapped between January and October. This is a 22% rise on the same period last year, when 180 people were kidnapped.
The departments where most kidnappings took place are Arauca (29), Antioquia (24), Cauca (21), Valle del Cauca (20) and Casanare (12).
155 of the registered kidnappings were for extortion purposes.
In October, 17 kidnappings were registered. 13 of them were committed by criminals, three by the FARC and one by the ELN. This year, three foreigners were kidnapped, but all have been released.
Despite this year’s rise in kidnapping, the situation is much less serious than it was ten years ago when 3,572 people were kidnapped.
