Luis Diaz’s father released, he is already with his family in Barrancas

“Thank you to the people of Barrancas for the support provided to my family. Thank you all, I love you very much…”, were the first words of Luis Manuel Díaz, father of the footballer of the English club Liverpool and the Colombian team, Luis Díaz, after having regained freedom after being kidnapped by the National Liberation Army , on October 28 in the municipality of Barrancas, La Guajira.

The rescue work began at 9:35 in the morning, from the municipality of Valledupar. The HK-4160 helicopter took off from the Alfonso López Pumarejo airport with the Humanitarian Mission made up of the UN, the Red Cross and the Catholic Church, heading to the foothills of the Serranía del Perijá, where ‘Profe Mane’, as he affectionately called him, would be released. They say in their homeland.

The expectation was great, a large security mobilization was deployed in the air terminal and its surroundings. Uniformed members of the National Police and the Army took over the accesses to guarantee the safety of the freed man and those who accompanied him.

At 10:45 in the morning, through members of the Catholic Church, it was learned that Luis Manuel Diaz was already in the hands of the humanitarian mission, which generated moments of joy in the place where several people came to witness the freedom of the father of the great Lucho Diaz.

From that moment, three UN vans were arranged at the entrance to the landing strip, and at 11:05 in the morning the HK-4160 landed, bringing with it the freedom of Luis Manuel Díaz, who got off the aircraft heavily guarded.

At slow steps, with some difficulty walking due to an injury to one of his knees, ‘Profe Mane’ stepped onto Vallenato land. He was wearing a brown jacket, a sweatshirt and a pair of Bermuda shorts, as well as a black cap from the Chicago Bulls basketball team and white tennis shoes visibly battered by the dirt, perhaps due to the kilometers he had to walk to get to the area where he would be rescued.

He raised his right arm to greet everyone who was waiting for him, but at the same time as a sign of triumph at achieving freedom, after twelve days in captivity in the hands of the ELN guerrilla.

Luis Manuel Diaz in the vicinity of the Serranía del Perijá, a difficult-to-access mountain complex bordering Venezuela, received primary medical care and then from specialists once he arrived in the capital of Cesar.

“Long live freedom and peace,” President Gustavo Petro celebrated from his X account, minutes after the rescue was achieved.

AT THE UN SEDE

He was immediately led to a United Nations van and then in a heavily guarded motorcade left the airport to the UN headquarters in Valledupar, where he met with his wife and other authorities.

From there he was taken to his homeland, Barrancas, La Guajira, where he arrived at approximately 2:00 in the afternoon, being received by a crowd of people and between hugs and tears, he thanked God for his freedom.

Initially he was received by his parents and brothers, as well as other relatives, friends, students and residents of the municipality, who through tears and white flags thanked God for returning safely a man loved by the people.

It is important to remember that his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, was also kidnapped that same day at a gas station in Barrancas by men traveling on motorcycles. Hours later she was rescued after authorities blocked access roads to the area.

WELCOME WITH TEARS OF JOY

Alfonso Díaz, cousin of Luis Manuel Diaz, in tears at the broadcast of seeing his relative back, said that they lived through “quite distressing days, with great uncertainty” that they faced with “faith placed in God.”

Díaz’s release came days after his son displayed a T-shirt with the phrase “Free Dad” after scoring a goal for Liverpool in a match against Luton in the Premier League.

“Mane is a man with a very humble heart, a man who has fought to raise his children,” said Mayulis Lindo Redondo, a resident of Barrancas, who celebrated that he was “safe and brought to us alive.”

Díaz Jiménez is recognized in Barrancas not only for being the father of Luis Díaz, but also for founding the Bayer soccer school, located in the center of the town and in front of the Díaz family home, which trains 200 children and young people who They dream of following in the footsteps of their son Luis Díaz.

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