Another year goes by

A year ago today I used this blog to draw attention to the kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt, a Colombian presidential candidate fighting for a better future for her country. One year on she is still being held somewhere in the Colombian jungle. Her campaign manager and friend Clara Rojas was recently released after a much publicised intervention by the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. This has sparked renewed hope that Ingrid Betacourt too might be released soon. The truth, however, is that the two women were separated by the FARC a long time ago and nothing is known about the current whereabouts of Betancourt. Footage released some time last year shows her looking gaunt and severely worn down by the now 6 years of captivity she has had to endure but at least it showed she is still alive.

It s difficult to imagine what her family and that of all the other hostages are going through. We can only hope that by the time another year has gone by, Ingrid Betancourt and all the others will have been reunited with their families.