Colombians took to the streets in large numbers on Sunday to protest kidnappings that have plagued the country during its 44-year-old guerrilla war. Declaring that this year's Independence Day should be renamed "Freedom Day" for 2,800 people held captive in remote jungle and mountain camps, thousands were expected to march in cities throughout the country.
They called on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and other outlawed groups to stop taking hostages and lay down their arms. The marches will further pressure the FARC, which has suffered recent severe setbacks as a result of President Alvaro Uribe's US-backed military offensive.
Uribe is seen as a hero by many Colombians for going on the attack against rebels who have been fighting the state since the 1960s. His popularity topped 90 percent after the dramatic rescue of 15 high-profile hostages on July 2.
Related demonstrations were held cities around the world including Paris, where recently-released captive Ingrid Betancourt addressed an emotional crowd ahead of a concert by Colombian pop star Juanes.
Betancourt, a French-Colombian politician released in the July 2 operation after more than six years in captivity, called on the rebels to talk peace with Uribe, whose father was killed in a botched FARC kidnapping in 1983. Over the last 12 years, 23,854 people have been taken hostage in Colombia, 2,800 of whom remain in captivity.
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