She was a hardened guerrilla who spent five years on one of the most dangerous fronts in Colombia's drug-fuelled war. On Monday, however, she decided to desert from the rebels after a kidnapped four-year-old boy “awakened her maternal instincts”, military authorities said.

She fled from her group near the border with Venezuela carrying the boy in her arms, and walked for 24 hours across the mountainous region to hand herself to a group of soldiers on patrol.

The boy, Brian Rincón Arias, was seized from a nursery school in the town of Cúcuta on June 15. Rebels were reportedly demanding £370,000 for his return.

He was reunited with his parents, Yólmer Rincón and Lucía Arias, at Cúcuta airport yesterday. “We always thought we would get him back, because God is great and knows how much faith we had,” said Mr Rincón. “I know that he heard us.”

In his six months of captivity the boy had grown close to the guerrilla, identified only by her nickname, La Negra. Soldiers watched as the boy kissed her hands before she was flown to the military base at Arauquita, 240 miles northeast of the capital, Bogotá.

“We realised on the plane how the boy sought out the guerrilla, presumably because of the love she gave him during those six months,” said General José Joaquín Cortés.

Another spokesman said she had been placed in a programme that aims to reinsert former rebels into society through education and social programmes.

“We have been able to offer this subversive the benefits accorded by the law,” Colonel Héctor Iván Páez said.

Kidnappings have decreased sharply in Colombia since President Uribe cracked down on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and other rebel armies. The number is still high.

So far this year 393 people have been kidnapped by rebels, according to the Free Country Foundation, which supports the families of those seized. Most of the kidnappings are conducted to finance the rebels' operations.

Farc is, however, also holding nearly 50 high-profile hostages that they plan to exchange for 500 rebels in prison.

Ingrid Betancourt, the most famous hostage, was seen in a video last week for the first time in four years, looking painfully thin and staring bleakly at the ground. Along with the video, authorities seized a letter written by the former presidential candidate and best-selling author, in which she spoke of her desperation.

“Here, we are living like the dead,” Ms Betancourt wrote to her mother. “I no longer have the same strength, it is very difficult for me to continue believing. I am not well physically. My appetite is frozen, my hair is falling out in large quantities.”

JUNGLE DRUG LORDS

— The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) was estabilished in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party

— It supports the redistribution of wealth and opposes the influence of multinational corporations and foreign governments

— It is run by a general secretariat, led by Manuel Marulanda, nicknamed “Tirofijo” or “Sureshot”, and six others, including the senior military commander, Jorge Briceño

— It has an estimated 12,000 armed soldiers and several thousand supporters. largely from rural areas

— It is backed by Cuba, which provides it with medical care and a safe haven. Its links to, and taxes imposed on, drug trafficking are estimated to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars annually

Sources: US Department of State; Encyclopedia Britannica; marc-gonsalves.com)

Times Recommends

• Congo's rangers risk their lives to guard gorillas
• Pearl farming in China losing its lustre
• Axl Rose mystery as album arrives at last