Video: Rebels hand over high-profile hostages to Red Cross

Hostages Clara Rojas and Consuelo González have been released to the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC). Today at approximately 11:47 am. Venuezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had released hostages Clara Rojas and Consuelo González. He added that he has spoken to them by telephone and that they are in good condition.

So why release these hostages?
While not confirmed, earlier reports speculated that perhaps Rojas and González were part of this current hostage release due to their failing health. The reports emphasized that the FARC wished to release the women in order that they might receive proper medical attention. I believe that this move actually supports my suspicions that the FARC, severely weakened in recent years by numerous military defeats and organizational deterioration, cannot provide adequate care for its ailing hostages while constantly on the lam from increased military pressure that is being applied by the Colombian armed forces.

This is joyful event for the hostages and their families that may offer signs of the conflict becoming unsustainble---especially for the FARC. A third-party mediator must act fast to take advantage of this important accomplishment by creating space for "secret talks" between the parties. Negotiations between the FARC and Colombian government will only end in disappointment if both parties cannot be convinced that the other side is negotiating in good faith. For this reason, the release of Clara Rojas and Consuelo González is an important first step because it shows that, at a minimum, such an operation can be carried out. It also demonstrates that a complex operation involving numerous international delegates and the demilitarization of vast territories (e.g. Florida and Pradera) is not necessarily required to carry out a successful humanitarian exchange. Though I remain cautiously optimistic, I do hope that in the coming months we will hear about the release of additional hostages and the parties engaging in "talks about talks."