Operation Emmanuel (Spanish: Operación Emmanuel) was a humanitarian operation that rescued politician Clara Rojas, her son Emmanuel (born in captivity), and former senator Consuelo González from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Colombia. The operation was proposed and set up by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, with the permission of the Colombian government of Álvaro Uribe. Chávez's plan was supported by the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and France, as well as the Red Cross, which also participated in the operation. Venezuelan aircraft were flown to an airport in the Colombian town of Villavicencio, were resupplied, and from there flew to the secret rescue point set up by the FARC.[1][2] On December 26, 2007, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Colombian government approved the mission, only requesting that the aircraft used for the operations were labelled with Red Cross insignias.[2]
- ^ AP: Chavez: Colombia Hostages May Be Freed Archived 2008-01-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Caracol Radio: Colombia authorizes humanitarian mission for the release of the hostages without conditions" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2014.