31 January 2002

U.S. Calls Upon Colombian Guerrillas to Account for Missionaries

On January 31 -- the ninth anniversary of the kidnapping of U.S. missionaries Dave Mankins, Mark Rich and Rick Tenenoff by the Colombian guerrilla group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) -- the State Department issued a press release calling upon FARC to reveal the fates of the missing men and to turn over the perpetrators of the crime.

Following is the text of the press release:

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the kidnapping of U.S. citizens Dave Mankins, Mark Rich, and Rick Tenenoff, members of the New Tribes Mission (NTM). These dedicated missionaries were kidnapped in Panama by members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on January 31, 1993, and then taken to Colombia. The United States remains committed to supporting the efforts of the families to bring this event to closure and to ensure that the perpetrators of this unspeakable crime are brought to justice.

Since December 1993, the FARC has repeatedly declined to provide any information on the three missionaries, despite direct appeals for information by the wives and children, by President Pastrana and senior Colombian officials, by a State Department official in December 1998, and by members of Congress and other concerned individuals. The FARC's unwillingness to account for its actions has imposed inhuman hardship on the missionaries' families.

In October 2001, the families of the missionaries held a memorial service in honor of Mr. Mankins, Mr. Rich, and Mr. Tenenoff. In response to requests from the families of the missionaries, the State Department recently furnished letters in support of motions filed by NTM in a Florida court, seeking to have the three men declared dead. We continue to call upon the FARC, as the entity responsible for these kidnappings, to come forth with a complete account of our missing fellow citizens and to turn over those responsible for this crime.