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# Colombia's daily war
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/18690/
- Published: 2006-10-03T14:10:01.000Z
- Updated: 2019-02-14T22:35:19.000Z
- Author: openDemocracy Supporters
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 18:23

**By Jessica Reed**

[Ingrid Betancourt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid%5FBetancourt?ref=opendemocracy.net), once the anti-corruption Green-party candidate for Colombia's presidential elections, has been held hostage by the [Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Columbia ](http://www.farcep.org/?ref=opendemocracy.net) ( the Revolutionnary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army) since February 2002\. Yesterday the guerilla group [said they wished to proceed](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR2006100201507.html?ref=opendemocracy.net) to an exchange between rebels currently kept in Columbian jails and the hostages they are holding captive in the deep Columbian jungle - Betancourt being one of them. This annoucement follows the President Uribe's recent declaration, who finally accepted to demilitarise two municipalities in the South West regions of the country.

After living a great part of her life in France, Ingrid Betancourt, daughter of a Colombian diplomat, had returned to her father's country to help it "recovering Democracy". In the process - and because she did not fear exposing corrupted politicians, drug traffickers and paramilitary groups- she and her family were sent death threats which drove her to make the difficult choice to live apart from her children, who went to live in New Zealand.  
  
In a [2002 Salon Interview](http://dir.salon.com/story/people/conv/2002/01/15/betancourt/index.html?pn=3&ref=opendemocracy.net) made just before her abduction, she strongly believed that she could win the elections:

*My chances? I think I have a 100 percent chance. The elections are open to everyone. The only thing that I fear is fraud in the elections (..) I know I'm low in the polls but those are official polls. I don't really believe in them. When I was a candidate for the Senate, an official poll came out -- it was everywhere, in all the papers -- and I didn't appear in the list of those who were going to be elected. And I became the senator who was elected with the highest number of votes in the country.*

**Elsewhere** \- Betancourt: [a Colombian Joan of Arc, or just another FARC victim](http://www.economist.com/world/la/displayStory.cfm?story%5Fid=2518348&ref=opendemocracy.net)? (The Economist article).

*Picture via* [*damouns*](http://www.flickr.com/photos/damouns/28207628/?ref=opendemocracy.net)*' flickR account.*