(VOVworld) – Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos expressed his hope for peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) after the ELN released a former mayor it was holding hostage.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos at a press conference in Bogota capital on Oct 5, 2016 (photo: EPA/TTXVN)

 
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the force handed over Fabio Leon Ardila, former mayor of Charala, in the remote city of Saravena, near the Venezuelan border. The Red Cross said Ardila was being transported to a reunion with family members.
The ELN agreed in March to hold peace talks with the government, but Santos has said negotiations cannot begin until the group stops seizing hostages. It is unclear how many hostages the ELN currently has, but official sources say the number includes some politicians.