02 November 2023 , 17:19
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Luis Diaz's father was kidnapped by a terrorist group, the Colombian government have announced.
Both of the Liverpool star's parents were abducted at a petrol station last Saturday, though his mother was released the same day. His father remains missing, while a massive search has been launched in the the northern La Guajira region of the country.
A force of more than 200 personnel from Colombia's security services are involved in the search, with police offering a £39,000 reward in return for information. A fresh update was provided on Thursday, with the Colombian government announcing that the National Liberation Army (ELN) criminal group are behind the kidnappings.
The government were told the news while holding peace talks with the group. Otty Patino is representing the government in those talks and confirmed that the ELN had admitted responsibility for the abductions.
"Today we have officially learned that the kidnapping carried out on October 28, in Barrancas, department of La Guajira, of which Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda, father and mother of the soccer player Luis Fernando, were victims Díaz Marulanda, was perpetrated by a unit belonging to the ELN," a statement from Patino read.
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"Although Mrs. Marulanda was released a few hours later, the player's father has been kidnapped for five days. As a delegation of the National Government for peace talks with the ELN, we express all our solidarity with Luis Díaz, his family, with the entire country and with the millions of followers of the player in the world.
"We demand that the ELN immediately release Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz, and we remind him that it is his entire responsibility to guarantee his life and integrity. We remind the ELN that kidnapping is a criminal practice, violative of International Humanitarian Law, and that it is its duty in the development of the current peace process, not only to stop carrying it out, but also to eliminate it forever.
Diaz's mother Cilenis Marulanda led a march to demand the release of her husband (AP)"As part of the development of the agreement on the Ceasefire, our delegation will present this case to the current Monitoring and Verification Mechanism, and will carry out all necessary actions to achieve the immediate release and with guarantee of the life and integrity of Mr. Díaz."
The ELN are a left-wing guerrilla group considered terrorists by both the US and European Union. The group has a Marxist-Leninist ideology and was founded in 1964 by radical Catholics inspired by Cuba’s communist revolution.
They announced a unilateral ceasefire during the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, after which peace talks began between them and the Colombian government. They have been accused of bombings and kidnappings in their campaigns against the Colombian state.
Diaz sat out the win over Nottingham Forest in the wake of the news his parents had been taken. He also missed the win over Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
A march to demand the release of his father was held in Colombia on Tuesday and was led by his mother. Diaz is remaining in England during the situation and is receiving updates from prosecutors.