French Mission to Aid Ailing Jungle Hostage

A French humanitarian mission is tonight poised to head to Colombia in an attempt to deliver medical aid to one of the most high-profile hostages being held by rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Farc.

The Colombian government agreed to suspend military operations against the leftwing guerrillas to smooth the path for a French team to reach Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate who was kidnapped while campaigning in 2002, provided they gave coordinates of their location. It was unknown whether Farc would cooperate.

Betancourt, 46, a French-Colombian citizen who has two children, is said to be seriously ill after six years in captivity. She is reported to be suffering from hepatitis B and a skin disease caused by insect bites. Her health was worsened by a hunger strike she began last month.

Her son Lorenzo Delloye said today that Betancourt needed an urgent blood transfusion. "Even as I speak, my mother is hurtling towards death," he said.

Betancourt has become a cause celebrity in France, where Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to attempt to secure her release. Last night he made a televised appeal to the Farc leader Manuel Marulanda, saying: "You have a rendezvous with history. Don't miss it. Free Ingrid Betancourt and the weakest hostages".Any successful mission to treat Betancourt would be the first contact for years with some of the high-profile hostages, whom Farc rebels say they want to exchange for jailed guerrilla fighters. Farc is believed to be holding hundreds of hostages, some of whom are thought to be sick after years in jungle camps.

Betancourt is among 39 high-profile hostages, including three US defence contractors. Attempts to secure a deal to free them have stalled over a rebel demand that the Colombian government demilitarize an area in the south of the country for a safe haven to facilitate talks.