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Factual: Life Stories

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

Outlook: 07/10/2010

07/10/2010

BBC World Service - Outlook, 07/10/2010

Ingrid Betancourt on her six years as a hostage in the Colombian jungle.

INGRID BETANCOURT
In 2002, the French Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt became perhaps one of the best-known hostages in the world. She was held for over six years, deep in the Colombian jungle, by left wing rebels, the FARC or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. 

Ingrid was the leader of the Green Oxygen Party - and at the time of her kidnap was campaigning around the country for the presidency. 

On 23 February 2002, she was due to take her campaign to a remote village called San Vicente del Caguan. But it was to be a fateful decision - when her car ran into a roadblock, she was snatched by FARC rebels and taken deep into the Amazon jungle. It was the beginning of over six long years of captivity during which Ingrid and her fellow hostages faced physical abuse, long marches through the jungle and terrible living conditions.

She was released after a dramatic rescue by the Colombian army in 2008. Now, two years on, she's decided to recount her experiences in a new book called Even Silence Has An End. She tells Matthew her remarkable story.

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