Romeo Langlois - Bargaining Chip

Romeo Langlois - FARC captive.

And so the FARC are going to release French journalist Romeo Langlois...soon. Sure they will - just as soon as the governments of Colombia and France obey their demands.

The guerrillas' unjustifiable holding of the injured, unarmed reporter has been condemned by journalists' and human rights organization. And the guerrillas could release him at any moment, just by letting him go on a road and pointing him toward the nearest town, or calling the local priest to come out to fetch him.

FARC guerrillas, and kidnappers. 

But the FARC, who fear above all else becoming irrelevant, will milk this incident to make headlines about something else besides the terrorism and drug dealing they specialize in. Also, the FARC must see an opening in France's recent election of socialist Pres. Hollande. The FARC's perpetual hope is to obtain legitimacy by getting foreign governments to send emissaries to meet with the guerrillas. Hopefully, Hollande will be clear-eyed enough to recognize that the FARC are a criminal band, not some sort of idealistic socialists, and tell them to release Langlois or be condemned as the human rights violators that they are.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours