Is it time to write Ingrid Bentancourt off?

No

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by Michael Feek

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Time to write Ingrid Betancourt off
In Febuary of 2002, Ingrid Betancourt was captured by FARC rebels in Columbia. At the time she was the presidential candidate for the Green Party. She still remains a hostage, along with her campaign manager, Clara Rojas. Although her family still maintains some hope that she will be released, that seems unlikely. Ingrid is probably fated too spend the last 30 years of her life as a hostage, 2/3 of her life Is it time for her family to face the hard truth that Ingrid will remain a hostage for the rest of her life?

This may sound hard and cold but the intent here is too underscore why appealing too the humanitarian side of her captors is hopeless and a military raid, although likely to get her killed, is perhaps the best possible option. The trauma would end for both Ingrid and her family and the rebels would pay a price for their actions.

First, in a video from July of 2002 and another from 2003, Ingrid herself admitted that she felt abandoned by the government and the fate of the hostages was to rot in the jungle. The actions of the Uribe government, although officials have said that efforts are being made to free the captives, underscore the impossibility of Ingrid ever tasting freedom again. Uribe has recently announced some releases of rebels but this has not resulted in the release of any hostages and time may not be on the hostages side because most are ill suffereinh hepatitis or malaria from their confinement.

Second, after being caged, chained and treated like a animal for six years, Ingrid is probably broken in spirit and mind and will always be a hostage in a sense. Studies have shown that the longer one is held hostage the greater the impacts psychologically that can affect work, family, and personal life for years if not foreever. Some of the most common after affects include being paranoid, sense of detachment and difficulties in maintaining interpersonal relationships. Although Ingrid may appear strong in videos, he has probably given up hope of ever seeing her family again. Think about what being a captive has already cost her. Facing another 5 or more years of captivity. She has lost her marriage, health and mental state permanently damaged, and is missing critical years of her children's life. The weariness and broken soul of Ingrid is evident in the few videos of her we have seen post-capture. Is it not better to die in a rescue attempt and see your captors pay a price for the 6 years probably another five or more her captors have cost her instead of dying 30 years from now chained up and in the hands of people who do not recognize you as human but a animal? Ending it one way or another is far preferable to hanging onto hopes that are fading. Also the group holding Ingrid is one of the hardline groups pof FARC and is much less willing to even consider her release, no matter what concessions the government makes.

The continued ability of Ingrid she survive in the harsh conditions. The escape of a hostage on the 28th has certainly increased the harshness of the captives existence. This underscores the hopelessness of appealing to the humanitarian side of the FARC. These people have no conception of mercy and to them Ingrid is just a dog to be treated as such. What good is life when the only thing to look forward to is another 5-1015 years of captivity. Ingrid was 40 when captured and is now 45 and in another 5 years will be 50. A full decade of life spent in captivity.
Even if released, highly unlikely though, Ingrid will never be the same because she has been too terorized and tramautized by the years in captivity with no end in sight.

Ingrid was warned about traveling to the area she was kidnapped in but from press reports more could have been done to protect her by the government. In the end, the time to lay fault over how Ingrid met such a sad fate and who is to blame. To negotiate successfully, thee must be willingness on both sides to adjust their positions and that is not present here. A military hunt is the only way to end this ordeal for Ingrid and her fellow captives once and for all, even if it includes death.

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