A convoy led by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was navigating difficult, remote terrain to reach the location where the FARC will release French journalist Romeo Langlois.
“So far, according to my latest information, everything is going well and according to plan,” ICRC spokesman Alexis Heeb said Wednesday.
He noted that tough terrain added a level of unpredicatablity to the rescue.
“It’s difficult to say exactly how long it will take, given that this depends on security, as well as difficult road conditions,” he said in an email.
“Our drivers know the area very well, but given the remoteness of this region, the roads can be very narrow, full of mud, and of difficult access,” he continued.
The convoy includes three ICRC members, a representative of French President Francois Hollande and three representatives of the Colombian non-governmental organization Colombians for Peace.
ICRC vehicles left the town of Florencia in the southern Caqueta department shortly after 4:45AM, headed for a secret location that FARC rebels revealed Tuesday.
The FARC, Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, captured Romeo Langlois on April 28. He was embedded with Colombian security forces as part of an investigation on anti-narcotics operations in the Caqueta department, when the troops came under fire from FARC rebels.
The release was negotiated by the ICRC, French government officials and former Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba. The Colombian government has suspended military operations in a 20 square kilometer region around the release site as part of the deal reached with the FARC.
Cordoba said on her twitter account that she expects Langlois to be freed by 2PM or 3PM Wednesday afternoon.
