Colombia's Central General Command (EMC) rebel group has announced it will stop kidnapping people for ransom.
The EMC is the largest offshoot of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and is made up of rebels who refused to lay down their arms when the FARC signed a peace deal in 2016.
The announcement is a boost for the government of Gustavo Petro, which is engaged in peace talks with the EMC.
Ransom kidnappings have been on the rise in Colombia this year.
While Tuesday's announcement by the EMC is a victory for President Petro, who says he aims to achieve "total peace" in Colombia, kidnappings for ransom are likely to continue.
The National Liberation Army, the rebel group which seized Luis Díaz's parents, is one of several criminal and rebel groups active in Colombia which have so far refused to stop abducting people for money.
According to a report released by Colombia's Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, the number of people kidnapped in the first 10 months of this year was the highest since 2016—the year when the government signed a peace deal with the FARC.
Read more here.
