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DATE=10/4/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=COLOMBIA - KIDNAP (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-254647
BYLINE=STEVEN DUDLEY
DATELINE=BOGOTA
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Colombian authorities have freed 40 people 
kidnapped this morning by a small guerrilla group 
in a northeastern city. Combat continues between 
the guerrillas and the army, but the former 
hostages are now safe in the local military 
battalion.  From Bogota, Steven Dudley reports.
TEXT:  Colombia's army mobilized 300 troops, 
several combat helicopters, and a phantom spy 
plane to free all the people who were kidnapped 
by left-wing rebels from the People's Liberation 
Army (EPL). The guerrillas took the hostages from 
their vehicles at a roadblock on the outskirts of 
the mountainous town of Ocana.  The rebels made a 
dash with their hostages for the lowland jungle 
known as Catatumbo, but were intercepted by the 
army. Two hostages were injured and one guerrilla 
killed in the rescue.
The small EPL group operating in the Catatumbo 
region is the remnant of a larger rebel 
organization that signed a peace accord with the 
government in 1991.  Its 300 or so fighters have 
recently made several high-profile kidnappings to 
draw attention to the deteriorating situation in 
the area. 
The jungles of Catatumbo have been the scene of 
fierce fighting in recent months between the 
guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary forces.  
Authorities say the paramilitaries have killed 
over 150 people in the region, and have forced 
over three thousand to flee into Venezuela. 
Catatumbo is known for its strong guerrilla 
presence and vast fields of coca, the raw 
material of cocaine.  The two largest rebel 
groups in the country - the FARC and E-L-N -- 
both have hundreds of soldiers in the area. 
Officials claim these rebels protect the coca 
fields. Authorities say the paramilitaries have 
targeted the area to try and wrest control of the 
drug trade from the rebels.  (Signed)
NEB/SD/TVM/gm 
04-Oct-1999 16:05 PM EDT (04-Oct-1999 2005 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.