Last Sunday Luis Díaz scored an agonizing goal for the legendary English Liverpool to tie. He was a bit strange, upside down, at least in style. The Colombian, in celebration, did not know whether to run, throw himself on the ground or hug his teammates. What he did manage to do, between the fervor and the pain he had in his chest and back, was to lift up his green and white T-shirt to show the message he had underneath and which went around the world: “Freedom for Dad.” ”. Surely, that celebration will go down in history as one of the most emotional of a national footballer. It brought tears to many.
(You may be interested in: Luis Díaz: this is how ‘Bambino’ Pons sang the release of the Colombian’s father).
Luis Manuel Díaz Jiménez, Mane, as he is affectionately called, was kidnapped at 5 in the afternoon on October 28 at a gas station in Barrancas, La Guajira. Two criminals on a motorcycle pointed guns at him when he was with his wife, Cilenis Marulanda.
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The armed men broke into the path of the Kia brand truck, which everyone in the town recognizes as Lucho Díaz’s car, they got into it and fled through the trails of the San Pedro district, looking for a hiding place in the Serranía del Perijá, in the border with Venezuela.
The rumor of the kidnapping quickly spread through the town of about 40,000 people, meanwhile the criminals’ tires burst on the truck, being forced to leave Cilenis, but continuing with Mane in their possession.
Cilenis was found about 90 minutes after the kidnapping in the car, which was reported by the farmers who also heard the rumor of the kidnapping of the parents of soccer player Lucho Díaz.
(Also: LIVE | Luis Díaz’s father was released after being kidnapped by the ELN for 13 days).
Since that Saturday there was no peace in the Díaz house in Barrancas. Initially, it was thought that it was common crime that was behind the kidnapping, but with the uncertainty and the passing of the days, the ELN guerrilla, which has a peace process with the government of Gustavo Petro, took responsibility for this despicable crime. crime.
In Barrancas the most famous house is that of Lucho Díaz’s family. Since then she was, more than ever, besieged by journalists, friends and curious people who sought to know what happened to Mane’s fate. As the days went by, it was also learned that it was a kidnapping for extortion purposes.
From President Gustavo Petro to other Colombian soccer figures, such as Falcao García and James Rodríguez, they rejected the guerrilla’s actions and demanded Mane’s release. But it is difficult to feel the sensations of someone who suffers a situation like this: insecurity, sadness and sleeplessness were what emerged on the faces of the shattered family members of the 58-year-old man.
Lucho Díaz himself wrote it: “This suffering will only end when we have him back home.” And his pleas were only fulfilled after 13 days of captivity; about 282 hours experiencing firsthand what no family would want, a pain that 31 people continue to suffer who are in the same hands of the ELN guerrillas.
What is known about the 13 days of kidnapping of Luis Manuel Díaz
After being kidnapped in Barrancas, Cilenis and Mane were separated. She was released and he remained in the hands of the armed men. From the first moment, Luis Manuel had to walk for hours.
Monsignor Francisco Ceballos, bishop of the Diocese of Riohacha, who along with the UN mission participated in the rescue of Díaz, said that the man walked for four days under the yoke of his captors, who were looking for a hiding place in the Serranía del Serranía. Perija.
(Also: The new details of the release of Luis Díaz’s father: ‘He didn’t stop walking’).
Meanwhile, the Police and the Army were patrolling the same area, as they believed that the criminals could seek refuge in Venezuelan territory to hide Luis Manuel.
Colonel Giovanni Montañez himself, commander of the Military Gaula, said that all units were deployed and that they were really close to the place where they had kidnapped him. He even suggested that under pressure from the armed forces, the ELN requested, in a statement, that the Serranía be cleared to proceed with the liberation.
But there was always a lot of concern among the Díaz family. Since the weekend, with his son’s song of freedom in England, it was thought that his release could be imminent. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday passed with the conditions given for a reunion that had not yet materialized.
And only this Thursday, very early, the process began. “There was no requirement, the only thing the ELN wanted was for there to be a clearance, because there was a lot of Military Force in the region and it is supposed to be a little complicated to deliver it with this situation,” said Monsignor Ceballos.
In a helicopter, the UN arrived at the place where the ELN told them they would leave Don Mane. He, as Monsignor Ceballos confessed, received them crying: “A cry for feeling free.”
Although behind a kidnapping there are many psychological consequences, it was the physical ones that were seen in Luis Manuel immediately: lame, emaciated and without a drop of energy, because for his release his captors made him walk for another two days.
“I was a little battered, badly injured and tired after this situation,” said Ceballos. After the crying came, once on the aircraft that would take him to Valledupar, Mane’s first smile when he was about to land to meet his wife Cilenis again.
Mane suffered an injury to his left leg from a blow he received the day of his kidnapping, but the pain is just an anecdote when seeing his beloved wife.
At his home, in Barrancas, they only believed that he was free when they received a video call in which they saw him safe and sound. His own father, also named Luis, cried with the happiness that they would soon hug each other. At that moment, after 11 in the morning, everyone on the block was shouting with joy.
“What I hope is that he can move forward, so that I can hear his voice every time he comes from Barranquilla. Faith is the first thing one must have,” said Don Luis about his son Mane.
Gone were the sleepless and worrying nights in the Díaz house. After noon, Luis Manuel arrived in a black armored truck, when he got off, many in his town were cheering him like the goals his son scores for the world. Mane is now free.
Hundreds of visitors came to his house to give him a hug. From there she did nothing but thank those who had compassion for her family. In a dialogue with Colonel Montañez, Luis Manuel, with his injured left foot, noted: “God bless him. Take care of yourself. Really, grateful for the management. What you did forced the release to be quick. “I was going long.”
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CRISTIAN ÁVILA JIMÉNEZ
EDITOR OF BREAKING NEWS FROM EL TIEMPO
2023-11-10 01:45:18
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