Colombian guerilla group prepares to free kidnapped police and soldiers, paving way for negotiations with government

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Colombia's largest rebel group is preparing to release some of the world's longest-held hostages, in a move many hope could lead to peace talks.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) is to release 10 abducted policemen and soldiers – some of whom have spent 14 years in jungle captivity – in a process due to begin on Monday.

According to a mediator, the hostages – the final remaining police and soldiers held by the Farc – are due to be released in two groups, on 2 and 4 April.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and a former Colombian senator will oversee the liberations with two helicopters manned and provided by the Brazilian military. The helicopters will fly out of the city of Villavicencio to Colombia's south-eastern jungles and pick up the hostages.

Military operations will be suspended for a limited time in the zones where the hostages are to be released.

The Colombian government has sought a low profile for the liberations. "These people who have suffered such inhuman conditions shouldn't have to return in a media show,'' said the foreign minister, Angela Holguín.

It has long been hoped that peace talks could lead on from a final end to the hostage situation, and so an end to the country's five-decade civil war.

"Once this is finished, we'll keep working toward negotiations,'' said Piedad Córdoba, a former senator who has tried to mediate between the guerrillas and the government and who will travel with the Red Cross to receive the hostages.

These handovers will mark the end of the Farc's policy of kidnapping, a tactic that it used to finance the insurgency and pressure the government. Kidnappings by the group helped make Colombia the abduction capital of the world, with nearly 4,000 reported in 2000 alone.

The Farc snatched police, soldiers and politicians, including the former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who spent six years as a hostage, to exchange for hundreds of imprisoned guerrillas.

The government refused to free jailed rebels and the Farc began freeing hostages unilaterally. In February, the 9,000-strong group said in a statement that it would cease kidnapping.

The Farc has yet to comment on any civilian hostages it may hold and there are no reliable figures for how many there could be.