Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group has freed Canadian engineer Jernoc Wobert after keeping him captive since January 18, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

Wobert boarded a helicopter after being freed in good health in a rural area of northern Colombia Tuesday, Xinhua reported citing the ICRC statement.

Top ELN leader Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista, alias "Gabino", said through a video message Tuesday that the release of the Canadian geologist would contribute to peace in Colombia, after president Juan Manuel Santos had demanded the rebels free all hostages as a condition to start peace talks.

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First Published: Aug 28 2013 | 11:58 AM IST

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