The discovery of Camilo Torres' body revives one of the most sensitive issues in Colombia's internal conflict

"just over three weeks before the 60th anniversary of the death in combat of Camilo Torres Restrepo, a priest and guerilla a group of forensic experts confirmed the discovery and identification of his remains. These had been missing since the moment of his death in San Vicente de Chucuri, in the department of Santander, on February 15, 1966. As a result of this discovery, the story of one of the most symbolic figures of the Latin American armed struggle"

"In the early-1960s, he was deeply involved in the intellectual and social life of Bogota's elite. He baptized Rodrigo Garcia Barcha, the eldest son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mercedes Barcha, when the writer was still a young journalist who belonged to the university cliques of the capital. Torres was also chosen by Hernando Santos Castillo then-director of the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo and his wife, Helena Calderon, to baptize their son Francisco Pacho Santos."

"The memory of Camilo Torres has always been present in the discourse of the National Liberation Army (ELN). In fact, in 1987, the guerrilla group changed its name to the Camilista Union-National Liberation Army. And, on several occasions, the armed group's peace negotiators have conditioned any sitdowns with the Colombian government on the discovery of the remains of the man they consider to be their greatest ideological figure. The ELN's appropriation of Torres's legacy is quite debatable."

Forensic experts confirmed discovery and identification of Camilo Torres Restrepo's remains on January 23, resolving their absence since his death in San Vicente de Chucuri on February 15, 1966. Torres served as a Catholic priest before joining the armed struggle and became a central symbol of Latin American guerrilla movements. In the early 1960s he was active in Bogota's intellectual and social circles and officiated sacraments for prominent families, including baptizing Rodrigo Garcia Barcha and Francisco Pacho Santos; Juan Manuel Santos served as his altar boy. The National Liberation Army (ELN) long invoked Torres's legacy, renaming itself and conditioning peace talks on locating his remains.

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