Via the BBC: Colombia rebels seize 10 hostages

Colombia’s left-wing Farc rebels have kidnapped 10 people in the north-west of the country.

Guerrillas forced a boat load of people travelling along the Atrato River in Choco province to the shore, before seizing the hostages.

Kidnappings for ransom remain the main source of income for the Farc, along with drug trafficking.

And one suspects that the kidnappings will continue, even given the recent dramatic rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and 14 others.

Indeed, I fear that there may be an uptick in such actions as a means for the FARC to make a statement that recent setbacks have not harmed their operational capabilities.

A point of order (so to speak): last time I saw hard numbers, the estimates were that the FARC’s revenue source is roughly half from kidnapping and half from drug-related activities.