The five mine workers released by the leftist ELN (National Liberation Army) were also seized in January, in a dawn attack on a mining company in Bolivarprovince in northern Colombia.
Since their arrival the refugees have been calling for a meeting with Colombia's new president, Andres Pastrana, and with senior government officials to discuss not only their immediate plight, but long-term proposals for restoring calm to Barrancabermeja and Bolivarprovince.