Six people, including two police officers, have been kidnapped in southern Colombia, authorities said today, blaming a Marxist guerrilla group which had agreed last week to stop mass kidnappings.
A unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia seized the six at an illegal roadblock in Narino department, police Colonel Jorge Valencia said.
Leaders of the group known as FARC pledged Friday to halt massive kidnappings -usually busloads of civilians -- in a pact with government negotiators. But the agreement made no mention of kidnappings of individuals nor did the FARC offer to release those already held, including several members of Congress.
The rebel group had no immediate comment on the police report.
A series of recent high-profile kidnappings had put pressure on Colombian President Andres Pastrana to take back control of a Switzerland-sized rebel safe haven, which he extended Sunday until January 2002. It had already been extended eight times previously.
Among the high-profile kidnapped victims, was Consuelo Araujonoguera, a former culture minister and the wife of Colombia's attorney general. Her bullet-riddled body was found after she was kidnapped last month.
The FARC's pledge to end mass kidnappings was part of a deal with the government to revive the stalled peace process.
AFP