Colombia rebels free kidnapped general

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Sunday that Marxist FARC rebels had freed an army general and two other hostages captured earlier this month, paving the way for peace talks to resume in the quest to end five decades of conflict.

Santos halted peace negotiations in Havana two weeks ago after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) seized five hostages, including General Ruben Dario Alzate, disrupting the efforts to stop Latin America’s longest-running war that has killed more than 200,000 people since 1964. The suspension of talks was the most serious setback to peace efforts after months of discussions and partial accords.

Santos refused to allow the talks, which had advanced more than previous attempts, to continue until all the hostages were freed. Alzate, Corporal Jorge Contreras and civilian lawyer Gloria Urrego were released in a jungle area near where they were taken hostage in the Pacific province of Choco. The rebels also liberated two captive soldiers on Tuesday.

"Alzate, lawyer Urrego and Corporal Rodriguez freed in perfect conditions and awaiting the right weather conditions for the return to their families," Santos wrote on his Twitter feed.

Alzate is the highest-ranking member of the military ever taken hostage by the FARC who have been fighting successive governments for 50 years.

The FARC negotiating team in Cuba has said it is eager to restart talks. However, the group's leader Rodrigo Londono, known by his nom de guerre "Timochenko," released a statement last week saying Santos had violated a general agreement stating that the talks must not be interrupted.

Santos has staked his presidency on bringing peace to Colombia, winning re-election this year against a right-wing opponent who threatened to ditch the talks and finish the FARC on the battlefield.

Even while security has improved massively over the last decade or so, peace talks have been taking place amid continued conflict. The FARC says it has stopped kidnapping for ransom but maintains military personnel are fair targets in the absence of a cease-fire. Alzate was considered a prisoner of war.

The most recent peace process with the FARC collapsed in 2002 after the group used the breathing room of a demilitarized zone to build its fighting force, intensify its cocaine trafficking and take hostages. The final straw came when the FARC boarded a commercial plane and seized a senator, who was held captive for six years.

Al Jazeera and Reuters