The father of Liverpool’s Luis Díaz was kidnapped by the left-wing rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), according to the Colombian government.
Luis Manuel Díaz was abducted at gunpoint along with his wife, and although his mother was left behind by the kidnappers, his father was taken away.
The ELN is Colombia’s main remaining active guerrilla group, and it has been in conflict with the state since 1964. The group has reportedly indicated that they will release Díaz’s father in the coming days.
Surveillance footage revealed that the couple’s car was being trailed by men on motorcycles on a Saturday afternoon. The assailants confronted the couple when they stopped at a petrol station in their hometown of Barrancas, situated in the northern province of La Guajira.
While the kidnappers left behind Luis Díaz’s mother in a car, they forcibly took away his father. The police have concentrated their search efforts on the Serranía del Perijá, a mountainous area that spans the border between Colombia and Venezuela. They have discovered two motorcycles and a vehicle believed to have been used in the abduction but have not yet pinpointed the whereabouts of Luis Manuel Díaz.
In a statement delivered in Spanish, Otty Patiño, the head of the government delegation engaged in negotiations with the ELN, has called for the “immediate release of Luis Manuel Díaz.”
“We remind the ELN that kidnappings are criminal acts which violate international humanitarian law and that it is their [the ELN’s] duty as part of the current peace process to not only stop engaging in kidnappings but also to forever stamp them out,” the statement reads.
Prior efforts to broker a peace agreement with the ELN have proven unsuccessful. However, as part of President Gustavo Petro’s comprehensive peace strategy, his administration resumed negotiations with the rebel group.
Earlier this year, both parties reached an agreement on a mutual six-month ceasefire, which took effect on August 3.
The kidnapping of Luis Díaz’s father has sparked widespread outrage in Colombia. The football player, who is also a key member of Colombia’s national team, enjoys immense popularity in the country.
On Tuesday, hundreds of people joined Cilenis Marulanda in a march to demand the release of her husband.
Liverpool, Díaz’s club, has expressed unwavering support, with manager Jürgen Klopp dedicating their 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday to Díaz, stating that the win was “for our brother.”