April 11, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Colombia think former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt will not be released by her captors any time soon, according to a poll by Datexco. 77.1 per cent of respondents believe the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will not free her.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Colombia think former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt will not be released by her captors any time soon, according to a poll by Datexco. 77.1 per cent of respondents believe the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will not free her.

Álvaro Uribe has been Colombia’s president since August 2002. In the May 2006 election, he won a new four-year term with 62.2 per cent of all cast ballots. He was able to run again after pro-Uribe lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Constitutional Court officially sanctioned a plan to allow immediate presidential re-election.

Despite several scandals surrounding his presidency—including the imprisonment of 29 lawmakers, most of them pro-government, and ongoing investigations into 22 more for having ties with illegal paramilitary groups—Uribe has been commended for his security policies, especially his hard stand against the FARC, a radical left-wing armed group.

The largest Latin American guerrilla finances its operations through kidnappings, and by trading drugs and precious metals. More than 700 people—and by some accounts more than 3,000—are currently being held in captivity by the FARC. Almost 50 of them are politicians, police and army officers that the FARC intends to use for the purposes of negotiating the release of its incarcerated members. Both FARC and Uribe’s government disagree on the main terms of a possible prisoner swap.

Betancourt, who holds both French and Colombian nationalities, has been captive for more than six years and is said to be in very poor health. Freed hostages and FARC deserters who have seen her say she is chained to a tree, and is physically and verbally abused by FARC guards on a regular basis.

Earlier this month, French president Nicolas Sarkozy sent an airplane with medical equipment and staff hoping FARC rebels would allow Betancourt to get treatment, but the mission was abandoned after FARC leaders rejected the proposal. The French government called the FARC’s decision "a political mistake" and "a humanitarian tragedy."

On Apr. 9, French foreign affairs minister Bernard Kouchner announced he would travel to Colombia to spearhead efforts to free Betancourt, adding, "We will continue one way or another. We must find her."

Polling Data

Do you think the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will free Ingrid Betancourt?

Yes	19.8%
No	77.1%
Not sure	3.8%

Source: Datexco
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 700 Colombian adults in 13 cities, conducted on Apr. 2, 2008. Margin of error is 3.7 per cent.