EU worker kidnapped in Colombia

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A Danish aid worker has been held hostage by rebels in Colombia since mid-March.

The Danish government confirmed 46-year-old Erik Kjaersgaard Eriksen was kidnapped but that his abduction was kept secret in the hope of negotiating his release.

A Danish Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that the kidnap, which took place on March 17 or 18, had also been withheld out of consideration for the victim.

"Our policy is that we don't give any continuous information to the press that might spoil a quick solution," the ministry told CNN.

Eriksen had been working on a European Union development project in a slum area near Bogota, capital of Colombia, when he was abducted.

The ministry said his family had been notified and the Danish consulate in Bogota was actively working for his release.

It gave no further details.

Danish media reported that Eriksen's girlfriend had been released after being initially held along with him.

There was speculation that the far-left Colombian rebel group, the National Liberation Army, was behind the abduction.

A major rebel offensive began on April 2 in Colombia with over 1,000 paramilitary fighters storming towns and villages in the southern Bolivar province, a day after rebels resumed peace talks with the government.

President Andres Pastrana withdrew his army from the region last month in a bid to restart the talks.

Two Danes were kidnapped by rebels in Colombia in separate incidents in the late 1990s.

One was held for 84 days, the other for 223 days, before their release was secured after a ransom payment.

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European Union
Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombian government

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