Two travellers from Switzerland and Brazil who were kidnapped along with their pet dogs by dissident rebels in Colombia have been rescued by the military after three months in captivity.
Daniel Max Guggenheim and Jose Iban Alburqueque and their two Pomeranians were freed after soldiers got wind of their location and chased after the man who was guarding them.
The men were described as healthy but said they endured a hellish ordeal that included long hours in cold temperatures and the ridicule of rebels who poked fun at them for traveling together.
“It’s something one suffers more in the heart than the body,” Mr Guggenheim said as he clutched one of his dogs after being brought to a military airport in the capital, Bogota. “It has given me nightmares.”
In mid-March, when Colombia started instituting a nationwide quarantine, the two men were in the Pacific port city of Buenaventura, an area with a long history of drug violence that has begun to attract tourists in more recent years. They decided to make their way back to Bogota using a smartphone to help determine the fastest route.
The journey took them through Corinto, in the Cauca department, where they decided to stop and rest, Mr Guggenheim said. Shortly after continuing onward, they were stopped by two men on motorcycles.
One put a gun to a window of their vehicle.
“You’ve arrived at the cemetery,” he told them.
The rebels identified themselves as dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia — the group that signed a peace accord in 2016 — and took them to a nearby area where coffee beans were being dried. The rebels took the keys of their car and began rummaging through their suitcases.
It's been more than a month and a half since we spoke to our families. It was hard.
Eventually the men were taken to a home where they were held in a room for four days. The rebels demanded tens of millions in pesos, but Mr Guggenheim said he had just $3,600 (Dh13,220). Unsatisfied, the rebels called Mr Guggenheim’s daughter, asking for more.
In all the men were held in 11 different locations, Mr Guggenheim said. While they were often cold, he said they were given food and never physically harmed. The rebels even went to a nearby town to buy dry food for their dogs, one of which is a 13-year-old purebred Pomeranian that Mr Guggenheim has had since a puppy.
“We survived,” he said, talking through a face mask. “It’s been more than a month and a half since we spoke to our families. It was hard.”
Most of 11,000 Colombian rebels who signed the peace accord to end Latin America’s longest-running conflict are now living as civilians, but a small number who defected or never joined the agreement are still battling the government.
The Pacific coast region including Buenaventura has seen a rise in violence as the Farc dissidents, the National Liberation Army guerrilla group and drug gangs compete for lucrative trafficking routes.
Mr Guggenheim said he harbours no ill will toward Colombia.
“A million thanks to Colombia,” he said. “I love the country in spite of everything."
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
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Matches on Bein Sports
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Japan
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
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- Financial well-being incentives
Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
Jasmin Mujanović, Hurst Publishers
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
The specs
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- Torque: 760nm
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
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2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
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2014: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria)
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
