Colombia demands release of Diaz’s father

Luis Diaz

Colombia's ELN guerilla group must release the kidnapped father of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz on Tuesday, a government negotiator said, following a withdrawal of troops as requested by the rebels. The 26-year-old winger's father, Luis Manuel Diaz, was abducted in the northern Colombian town of Barrancas on October 28. Diaz's mother was also kidnapped but was rescued hours later.

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Colombian authorities have since launched a massive search for the man. The head of the ELN has acknowledged the organization had made a "mistake" when it abducted Diaz's father and vowed to work toward his release. But a Sunday statement from the guerilla group blamed the delay of the release on pressure from a military deployment. In response, troops involved in the search are repositioning, Colonel Giovanni Montanez said Monday.

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"There is no excuse. It is expected that this release will take place today," Otty Patino, the government's chief negotiator in ongoing broader peace talks with the ELN, told broadcaster Radio Blu on Tuesday. The kidnapping has threatened to derail high-stakes peace negotiations between the rebel group and leftist President Gustavo Petro, taking place amid a six-month ceasefire.

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