Akhir 1432 H. / 08 March 2011, SPA -- Twenty-one of 23 oil workers kidnapped in Colombia have been rescued by authorities, Colombian Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera said Tuesday. Troops had been searching for the workers since Monday, when they were kidnapped by armed men in eastern Colombia, the country's army said in a statement. The kidnapping was reported Monday afternoon in Colombia's Vichada province, the army said. Authorities said it seemed the kidnappers were members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group, which has been at war with the Colombian government since the 1960s. Army officials said the victims were working for Canada-based Talisman Energy. In a statement late Monday, Talisman confirmed that 22 employees of seismic contractor South America Exploration had been kidnapped. The workers were Colombians, "and most are members of the indigenous communities of the area," Talisman said. "Talisman and Ecopetrol are cooperating with the Colombian authorities and the contractor. ... The top priority is to provide any required support so these Colombian nationals can be reunited with their families as soon as possible." The army pledged to provide "troops and necessary resources that permit the safe return of the kidnapped to their homes." Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos issued a new warning to FARC guerrillas last week. "I say this to the members of the FARC who still think that they are going to achieve something through weapons; I say that the only future that is left for them if they continue with the violence will be a tomb or a jail," he said.
