The National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of Élida Parra Alfonso, who was abducted on 24 July, the newspaper El Tiempo reported. The journalist hosted a program on children’s rights for the Sarare Stereo radio station, and also worked for the company managing the Bicentennial Pipeline in Saravena, the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) reported.

While it is still unknown if Parra Alfonso was kidnapped for her reporting, the International Press Institute (IPI) called on the Colombian authorities to act promptly in order to guarantee her safety. The same day she disappeared, and under the same circumstances, Gina Paola Uribe Villamizar, an environmental engineer who worked for the Bicentennial Pipeline, was also abducted from her home.

In an eight-paragraph statement that the ELN sent to the families of Alfonso Parra and Uribe Villamizar, the armed group also claimed responsibility for the murder of an engineer working for the pipeline. “The rebels insist they will maintain attacks on oil infrastructure, contractors and multinational companies located in the bordering state (of Saravena),” El Tiempo reported. Meanwhile, the news agency Europa Press reported today that the family of one of the hostages received a phone call from the guerrillas claiming that the two women are in good health.