“The 15th division informs the public that the French journalist, who was dressed in military clothes and captured in battle, is in our hands as a prisoner of war,” said the communiqué, which was read by a soldier who identified himself as Ancizar, alias Monaso, and was posted on YouTube.
In a message broadcast over Colombian radio waves Wednesday, FARC rebels first said they were holding Langlois, a French citizen who lives in Colombia and has extensively reported on the armed conflict in the South American country. He was embedded with the Colombian military during a crackdown on narco-trafficking in the southern region of Caqueta for FRANCE 24 when he went missing.
The FARC’s Front 15 is believed to comprise about 300 fighters supported by an estimated 2,000 non-combatants.
Speaking to reporters, the commander of the Colombian army’s aviation wing General Javier Rey said Langlois is “a journalist who was doing his job… as such, he is protected, as a civilian, by the Geneva Convention.” Rey also refuted the claim that Langlois was wearing military clothes.
Six people, including Langlois, were missing following the rebel attack on a military patrol. Of the six, only the French journalist is still in captivity. The five Colombian soldiers who were captured along with Langlois were released the next day.
FRANCE 24
France 24’s Simone Bruno discusses the disappearance of Romeo Langlois.
Shortly after Wednesday’s FARC statement, Colombian authorities announced that they were suspending flights over the “red zone” – the rebel stronghold between the Andes and the Amazon where Langlois disappeared.
The suspension was a move to encourage FARC rebels to release the 35-year-old journalist. “We made this decision once we had confirmation that the guerrillas were holding him. We lowered the pressure on the terrorist group and they now have total freedom to release the journalist,” said Gen. Rey. (france24)