BOGOTA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's former Development Minister Fernando Araujo was freed on Friday, four years after he was kidnapped by rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

    TV footage showed a malnourished and tired Araujo, who escaped on Dec. 31 during an encounter between government forces and the guerillas. One soldier and six guerillas died in the exchange of fire.

    Araujo then walked through the mountainous jungle to the hamletof San Agustin, some 570 km north of the capital Bogota, where he was found by soldiers.

    The former development minister was kidnapped on Dec. 4 , 2002 at a scenic spot in Cartagena. The last information his family received was a video FARC released in December 2005.

    Starting in December, Colombian police and troops launched search and rescue operations for the kidnapped minister.

    President Alvaro Uribe on Friday applauded Araujo's escape.

    The FARC, the largest Colombian guerrilla group, has been fighting the government since the mid-1960s. Reports say the grouphas some 20,000 fighters.

    The rebel group still holds 59 hostages, including government officials, soldiers and foreigners, and it wants to trade them for over 500 jailed guerillas.