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No news of the couple kidnapped in the border region with Colombia
Posted On 24 Apr 2018
Ecuadornews:
The Ecuadorian Minister of the Interior, César Navas, indicated today that the attempts of the security forces of his country to obtain information from the Ecuadorian couple kidnapped in mid-April in the border region with Colombia have been unsuccessful.
“We have tried to have contact with the kidnappers, there has been no other communication, this shows that there is no willingness to deliver them as in the case of the compatriots of El Comercio,” said Navas in reference to the journalist team kidnapped in March and killed in captivity.
Last Wednesday, the general commander of the Ecuadorian Police, Ramiro Mantilla, said that they presume that Vanesa Velasco Pinargote and Oscar Efrén Villacís Gómez moved to a Colombian town, bordering Ecuador, where they were kidnapped, and “they are there in Colombia” , He said.
According to the high police chief, the motorcycle was found in which the couple was mobilized, of whose kidnapping he met last Tuesday, just four days after confirming the murder of the press team of the newspaper El Comercio.
Navas said today that the “requirements or requests of the kidnappers” are unknown and pointed out that “all efforts are being made” so that the kidnapped “return safely to their homes,” the Ministry of the Interior posted on their Twitter account.
The high official asked Colombia for joint responsibility in the investigations “since the hostages are in their territory,” he said.
“The neighboring country was asked to intensify the police and military presence in the border area, as we did with the personnel of the National Police and Armed Forces,” he added, referring to the control actions in the border area.
Navas assured that they are carrying out “all the efforts with operations and information crossing together with Colombia to dismantle the organization led by alias ‘Guacho'”, dissident of the FARC and to whom the two kidnappings and the murder of the press team are attributed.
“We understand that with the capture of alias ‘Guacho’ does not finish the job. They are about 12 organizations that operate in this area, “said Navas.
When confirming last Tuesday the kidnapping of Velasco and Villacís, the head of the Ministry of the Interior presented a video of the couple, sent by their captors, in which they ask for government support for their release.
The recording -according to Navas- came to the Government through an open communication channel with alias “Guacho”. (I)
