Left-wing guerrillas warned the Colombian Government to keep its distance yesterday after 11 politicians held hostage by the group for five years were reported to have been killed in crossfire during a botched military operation to rescue them.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the country’s largest insurgent army, reported that the hostages had been shot dead when an “unknown military group” raided the jungle camp where they were being held.

No independent confirmation was available and the Government and army swiftly denied that they had commenced any military action against the camp, the location of which was not disclosed.

The guerrillas claimed that the 11 hostages were among 12 deputies snatched from the provincial assembly in the city of Cali in 2002, in an audacious daylight raid that shocked the country.

They were among a group of 60 high-profile hostages, including three American intelligence contractors and a French-Colombian presidential candidate, at the centre of an exchange deal between the Farc and the Government of President Uribe. He wants to exchange hundreds of jailed guerrillas to secure the release of the hostages, but negotiations have stalled.

Some captives have been held for up to ten years but the hostage issue has gained impetus in recent weeks after the escape of Jhon Pinchao, a kidnapped policeman, from rebel captivity deep in the jungle.

Mr Pinchao spent two weeks on the run after fleeing his captors before being rescued by a counter-narcotics patrol. He brought the first concrete news for years of some of the hostages, including the Americans – Marc Gonsalves, Tom Howes and Keith Stansell – and Ingrid Betancourt, who was captured while campaigning for the presidency in 2002.

Mr Pinchao also brought news of a baby born to Clara Rojas, Ms Betancourt’s campaign manager, who was kidnapped with her boss. The 11-month-old infant, Emmanuel, fathered by one of Ms Rojas’s guards, has become the “face” of a government campaign to expose the Farc’s treatment of its hostages and pressure the group to release them.

But Mr Pinchao’s escape also fuelled renewed talk of a military solution to the hostage taking. The families of the hostages have repeatedly begged the Government not to undertake a rescue mission for fear of endangering their lives. That is what the rebels now claim has happened.

In a statement, the Farc said that only one of the kidnapped politicians had survived, naming him as Sigifredo López.

“To the families of the dead deputies, we offer our deepest condolences,” a statement from the Farc said.

Relatives waited to discover whether the reports were true or a propaganda move to ward off any future rescue attempt and pressure the Government to negotiate.

“We are waiting for confirmation,” said Fabiola Perdomo, the wife of one hostage. “I’m totally lost, we don’t know what we’re going to do.”

France, fearing for the life of Ms Betancourt, a French national, warned Mr Uribe not to use force to free hostages, saying that military action should be “absolutely forbidden”.

Mr Uribe’s patience with the rebels is rapidly wearing thin. This month, in what he called a gesture of good faith, he released the Farc’s highest-ranking commander from jail and is preparing to free 150 fighters.

Both sides agreed this year to talks over a prisoner-hostage swap, but negotiations broke down.

Violent past

1964 The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) aims to create a Marxist-Leninist state

1966-68 Farc recruits 500 armed militants, operating out of the Colombian jungle and raising funds through kidnapping, extortion and the drug trade

1985 Ceasefire leads to establishment of Farc’s political party, the Patriotic Union (UP)

1996-99 With the ceasefire over, Farc captures 500 security force members

1997-02 The group hijacks a plane, kidnapping a Colombian senator

2004 Government offensive pushes back guerrilla territories

Source: Globalsecurity.org , agencies

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