Luis Diaz: Colombia guerrillas free father of Liverpool star

Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas have freed the father of Liverpool football star Luis Diaz, after holding him for 12 days, local media reported.

The 26-year-old's parents, Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda, were kidnapped on October 28 by the armed group while they were in the northern city of Barrancas. 

Diaz's mother, Marulanda, was successfully rescued a few hours later. The Colombian government then demanded the release of her husband, setting off a massive search operation.

Luis Manuel was handed over by the rebels to a humanitarian mission in the northeastern city of Valledupar, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Barrancas. Colombia's Catholic Church, which was involved in negotiating the handover, released a photograph of Diaz in a wooded area to prove he had been released.

"Long live Freedom and Peace," President Gustavo Petro wrote on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Colombia has been ravaged by decades of fighting between the security forces, leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs. A 2016 peace agreement managed to disarm members of large groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and put the country on a possible path to lasting peace.

But the ELN, founded as a leftist ideological movement in 1964, remains Colombia's last recognized guerrilla group. In recent years, the group has engaged in criminal activities, such as kidnapping, extortion, violent attacks and drug trafficking.

Kidnapping thwarted ELN peace talks

The high-profile kidnapping of Luis Manuel Diaz came after the government of Colombia restarted talks last year in the hope of ending the ELN's part in the country's 60-year conflict, which has killed at least 450,000 people.

The two sides began a six-month cease-fire in August. But the kidnapping has threatened to derail the efforts.

President Petro, himself a former urban guerrilla, said last week the ELN's actions had broken the "trust" between the parties.

The ELN acknowledged that one of its units was behind the kidnapping, which it described as a "mistake."

The Colombian government's negotiating delegation said in a statement it celebrated the liberation but stressed that the kidnapping "should never have happened."

"The current process with the ELN has advanced like no other until today. Regardless, our delegation considers that the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Diaz has placed our dialogue in a critical situation and because of it, the time has come to take decisions to eliminate kidnapping," the statement said.

The government demanded that all those being held by the ELN must be liberated. The group is holding an estimated 30 people captive, according to security and government sources.

Luis Diaz, a striker, is one of the most talented players on Colombia's national team. He joined UK club Liverpool in a deal worth $67 million (€62.7 million).

The team tweeted it was "delighted by the news" of Diaz's father release. 

jcg/nm (EFE, Reuters, AP)