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The Unexpected Rescuers Who Found Colombia’s Missing Children The Unexpected Rescuers Who Found Colombia’s Missing Children
(about 2 hours later)
At first, he heard a soft cry. Then, just beyond the broad leaves of the jungle, Nicolás Ordóñez could make out the form of a small girl, a baby in her arms.At first, he heard a soft cry. Then, just beyond the broad leaves of the jungle, Nicolás Ordóñez could make out the form of a small girl, a baby in her arms.
Mr. Ordóñez, 27, a young man from the humblest of backgrounds, stepped forward, soon to become a national hero. He and three other men had found four Colombian children who had survived a terrifying plane crash followed by 40 harrowing days in the Amazon rain forest — and whose plight had drawn worldwide attention.Mr. Ordóñez, 27, a young man from the humblest of backgrounds, stepped forward, soon to become a national hero. He and three other men had found four Colombian children who had survived a terrifying plane crash followed by 40 harrowing days in the Amazon rain forest — and whose plight had drawn worldwide attention.
But these men did not wear the uniform of the Colombian military, or any other force backed by millions of dollars mobilized for the massive search.But these men did not wear the uniform of the Colombian military, or any other force backed by millions of dollars mobilized for the massive search.
Instead, they were members of a civilian patrol known as the Indigenous Guard — a confederation of defense groups that have sought to protect broad swaths of Indigenous territory from violence and environmental destruction linked to the country’s long internal conflict.Instead, they were members of a civilian patrol known as the Indigenous Guard — a confederation of defense groups that have sought to protect broad swaths of Indigenous territory from violence and environmental destruction linked to the country’s long internal conflict.
Many in the guard say their cause has long been marginalized. Now, they are at the center of the country’s biggest story.
“What we are, the Indigenous guards, has been made visible,” said Luis Acosta, who coordinates the multiple groups collectively known as the Indigenous Guard. “I think that this may gain us respect and gain us recognition.”