5000 citizens turned up on Sunday to march in support of the rescue of 10 year old Nohora Munoz, kidnapped on
September 29th by one of Colombia's left-wing terrorist groups.
ARAUCA - Colombian Armed Forces reported today that they had killed five members of the ELN terrorist group in a clash on Sunday in Fortul, a city near the Venezuelan border where ELN and FARC terrorists have been known to operate, where they are able to escape into Venezuela when necessary.
Colombian Armed Forces also reported clashes with FARC terrorists in the area, as they conducted a search for 10 year old Nohora Munoz, the child of Fortul's mayor, Jorge Enrique Munoz.
Colombian authorities are not sure whether the child was kidnapped by the ELN or FARC terrorist group, though the ELN has blamed the FARC by releasing a video and posters requesting the FARC to clarify that they had the girl.
Witnesses to the kidnapping, which took place on September 29th as her mother was taking her to school, say that the hooded terrorists that took the child appeared to be members of the FARC.
A 5000 person march took place in Fortul on Sunday to call for the release of the girl, and to support the Colombian Armed Forces and others that have mobilized to rescue Nohora. General Jaime Reyes, the local army commander, told EFE news agency, “Like all Colombians, we want the child to be returned to her family.”
Early reports that the girl had been taken into Venezuelan territory, where the FARC has been allowed to operate under the aegis of President Hugo Chavez, have been discounted. Friends of the girl's family have said that authorities believe that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez would prefer to avoid the publicity of a kidnapped Colombian child in Venezuela territory.
Both the FARC and the ELN terrorist groups are known for kidnapping children in the rural areas of Colombia to force them into becoming combat soldiers for the narcotrafficking group. Females, often minors, are reportedly forced to serve as sexual slaves to the older male members of the terrorist groups, and forced abortions have been reported as well.
A national outcry in the country has mobilized the Armed Forces and civil society groups into action to rescue the girl, according to Colombian news reports.
