**A humanitarian mission is preparing to fly to Colombia’s southern jungle after left-wing rebels promised to hand over a soldier they kidnapped in 1997.**If all goes to plan, it would be the end of one of the country’s longest-running hostage dramas.
Sgt Pablo Emilio Moncayo was just 19 when he was seized by Farc rebels.
The rebels unilaterally freed another soldier on Sunday but are still holding some 20 policemen and members of the security forces.
Two helicopters loaned by Brazil were due to take off from the city of Florencia in south-western Colombia on Tuesday morning to fly to an agreed location for the handover.
The mission is formed of delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), mediator Senator Piedad Cordoba and Bishop Leonardo Gomez Serna.
Heavy rain was reported in Florencia but an ICRC delegate said he believed the mission would go ahead as scheduled.
If the mission succeeds, it is likely to be an emotional reunion for Sgt Moncayo and his family, who have had scant news of him during his years in captivity.
His father, Gustavo, came to national prominence in 2007 when he trekked across Colombia in chains to urge President Alvaro Uribe to agree to a swap of jailed rebels for the hostages.
Kidnap figures
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), who have been fighting the Colombian state for more than four decades, currently hold some 20 policemen and soldiers.
They released another soldier, Pte Josue Daniel Calvo, on Sunday after nearly a year.
But they say no more hostages will be freed until the government agrees to negotiate.
Mr Uribe, who has pursued a hardline security policy, has indicated he will consider exchanging hundreds of jailed rebels for the hostages, but only if freed guerrillas do not rejoin rebel ranks.
As well as the high-profile hostages from the security forces, hundreds of Colombians have been kidnapped over the years by armed groups and drug-trafficking gangs, sometimes for political reasons but often for ransom.
The government says the official number of those in captivity now stands at 79, although these figures are disputed by groups that monitor kidnappings.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.