BOGOTA (AFP) — Colombian rebels have freed four tourists they seized in northwest Colombia in January but have held on to a university professor with Norwegian nationality, a military official told Colombian radio Wednesday.
"The Red Cross has informed me that through a humanitarian gesture it received four hostages" near Nuqui in Choco department, Marine Colonel Hector Aguas told Radio RCN.
Two of the six -- Onshuus Nino Alf, a professor at Bogota's University of the Andes who holds both Colombian and Norwegian nationality, and student Jorge Torres -- were not released, he said.
Those freed were businessman Jose Rodriguez; teacher Hernando Martinez; hotel owner Cesar Hoyos; and Nino's wife, biologist Maria Serrano.
Red Cross personnel were bringing the four to Quibdo, capital of Choco department, and said the freed hostages appeared to be healthy, Aguas said.
The Red Cross did not reveal where the handover took place or give any further details, he said.
In January, Aguas said that 19 tourists taking a boat tour of the Atrato river in Choco department were surrounded by guerrillas while on a shore and that the rebels separated six people who were led into the forest.
According to accounts, the guerrillas wore the insignia of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The released hostages were not among the 39 being considered for a proposed hostage swap between FARC and the Colombian government.
The low-key handover came as a dispute between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela had looked set to scotch any further hostage releases.
Since the start of the year, the FARC has handed six hostages over to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who late Wednesday promised to keep working for the release of captives despite the row with Bogota.
Colombia on Saturday attacked a FARC camp just inside Ecuador, killing the group's second in command. Ecuador has condemned the cross-border military action.
Bogota said rebel laptops seized in the raid revealed that Ecuador and Venezuela had been providing support to the FARC, who have been fighting the Colombian government for four decades.
Quito and Caracas strenuously denied the claims, cut off diplomatic ties and moved troops to their respective borders with Colombia.
Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said Colombia's attack had thwarted Ecuador-FARC talks on the release of Colombian-French national Ingrid Betancourt, which was to have taken place later this month inside Ecuador.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday encouraged the FARC, which is holding hundreds of hostages, to continue its "strategy of humanitarian release."
Sarkozy told Colombian Canal-RCN television in an interview: "I want to tell the FARC: 'continue the strategy of humanitarian release, do not commit the irreparable, Ingrid is in danger of death.'"
It was unclear if the latest hostage release was linked to Sarkozy's plea.
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