The Colombian guerrilla group ELN (National Liberation Army) confirmed this Thursday that it had been responsible for the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Díaz, father of Liverpool footballer Luis Díaz.
The admission was made by Juan Carlos Cuéllar, the ELN delegate for peace dialogue with the Government.
“The National Liberation Army is going to free Mr. Díaz’s father as soon as possible,” Cuéllar wrote in a message broadcast on the X social network.
Cuéllar’s statements came after the Colombian government delegation for peace talks had blamed the ELN for the kidnapping.
The incident could affect the dialogues that the ELN maintains with the president’s government Gustavo Petrowhich wants to end a six-decade internal conflict that has left more than 450,000 dead.
Luis Manuel Díaz, 58, was kidnapped on Saturday, October 28, along with his wife Cilenis Marulanda near the municipality of Barrancas, in the department of La Guajira, in northern Colombia, by armed people who were traveling on motorcycles and intercepted the van in which they were traveling.
The Liverpool striker’s mother was released safely.
“We have had official knowledge that the kidnapping (…) was perpetrated by a unit belonging to the ELN,” the government delegation at the Roundtable for dialogue with the ELN said in a statement.
“We demand that the ELN immediately release Mr. Luis Manuel Díaz, and we remind him that it is his entire responsibility to guarantee his life and integrity,” he added.
The ELN, made up of 5,800 members, including some 2,800 combatants, is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
“We are making the respective consultations on this issue,” a guerrilla spokesperson told Reuters.
The insurgent group, accused of financing itself from drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and illegal mining, agreed to a six-month bilateral ceasefire with the government that began in August.
The government delegation assured that the kidnapping is a violation of International Humanitarian Law and that in the midst of the current peace process it should not be committed by the group.
Díaz, 26 years old and who has played 43 times with the Colombian national team, was signed by Liverpool in January of last year in a multimillion-dollar deal and is one of the figures of the English team.
The winger has scored three goals for Liverpool in all competitions this season and due to the kidnapping last weekend he was excluded from the team that defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League.
The kidnapping of Luís Manuel Díaz generated a wave of indignation in Colombia with protest marches in several cities.
A search operation is underway by Colombian authorities in an area recognized for its proximity to the dense Serranía del Perijá and the border with Venezuela.
Members of the police and the army have mobilized to the area and are using tracking dogs to try to find Díaz’s whereabouts.
In addition, a reward of up to 200 million Colombian pesos (US$49,000) has been offered for information leading to his release.
A blow to peace negotiations
Analysis by Daniel Pardo, BBC correspondent in Colombia
For peace negotiations that by definition are sensitive and fragile, this is a huge blow to their credibility.
And above all because it violates the ceasefire that the government delegation worked so hard to agree on with the guerrillas.
The ELN grew especially on the border with Venezuela after the demobilization of the FARC.
And, being a federal guerrilla, their fronts usually have a certain autonomy.
In reality, the control that the delegation that negotiates with the government can have over the fronts is limited.
So, although the ELN high command is responsible for the kidnapping, its room for maneuver to seek release is partial.
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