By Herbert Villarraga
Florencia, Colombia - Colombian rebels on Tuesday freed a hostage soldier they had held in secret camps for more than 12 years after guerrillas overran his army base at the height of the conflict, the Red Cross said.
A Red Cross mission flew into the southern jungles and was returning with Pablo Emilio Moncayo, 32, who was a teenager when captured and become a symbol of those left behind in the waning war against Latin America's longest-running insurgency.
Caracas-based Telesur television, which had a camera at the site, showed images of Moncayo smiling in uniform with Colombian lawmaker Sen. Piedad Cordoba, who travelled with the Red Cross and has negotiated hostage releases in the past.
"After more than 12 years in captivity, Sgt. Pablo Emilo Moncayo was handed over this afternoon, the Red Cross said in a statement.
His release was the second this week by the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, once a powerful rebel force that has been hobbled by President Alvaro Uribe's US-backed war on guerrillas and cocaine traffickers.
The handovers came before Colombians go to the polls in May to pick a successor for Uribe. He steps down after two terms dominated by his hard-line against the FARC and has accused the rebels of using hostages to score points before the elections.
Guerrillas on Sunday freed Josue Daniel Calvo, kidnapped a year ago after he was wounded in combat. The FARC are still holding 22 police and soldiers captive.
Moncayo's father lobbied for his release with governments from Venezuela to France, often wearing chains he says symbolise his son's captivity. Moncayo was only been seen occasionally in rebel videos since his 1997 kidnapping. - Reuters