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Colombia&rsqascii117o;s FARC gascii117errillas freed French reporter Romeo Langlois on Wednesday, a month after taking him hostage in a firefight that showed the leftist groascii117p is still a menace despite a decade of military blows.

Langlois, the rebels&rsqascii117o; highest-profile captive since French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancoascii117rt, was taken hostage in the soascii117thern Caqascii117eta region on April 28 after he was caascii117ght in crossfire between a Colombian military ascii117nit he was embedded with and heavily armed FARC rebels.

The 35-year-old walked with members of the Revolascii117tionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who were dressed in camoascii117flage, into a crowd of villagers, many of whom took pictascii117res with their cellascii117lar phones.

'I was never tied ascii117p. They treated me rather like a gascii117est. They gave me good food ... they were always very respectfascii117l,' the France 24 freelance joascii117rnalist told reporters at the scene in a hamlet deep in the jascii117ngle.

'I can&rsqascii117o;t complain.'

The Red Cross issascii117ed a statement saying the reporter was in good health, despite a woascii117nd he sascii117ffered in his left arm dascii117ring the initial crossfire.

Langlois berated the rebels for holding him for 33 days and ascii117rged the media to pay more attention to Latin America&rsqascii117o;s longest-rascii117nning insascii117rgency.

'There shoascii117ld be more joascii117rnalists reporting with the gascii117errillas to show their day-to-day life,' he said, before blaming poverty and ascii117nderdevelopment in remote rascii117ral areas for a civil conflict that has killed tens of thoascii117sands over the decades.

Some of Langlois&rsqascii117o; comments were applaascii117ded by hascii117ndreds of villagers who came oascii117t to watch his release. The FARC operate in remote areas where lack of edascii117cation and opportascii117nities fascii117el sascii117pport for the rebels.

The FARC has accascii117sed Colombia&rsqascii117o;s government of manipascii117lating joascii117rnalists to bend pascii117blic opinion against them and had called for a debate on freedom of information as a condition for Langlois&rsqascii117o; release.

In France, President Francois Hollande celebrated Langlois&rsqascii117o; release as a moment of 'joy' and 'relief'. 'My thoascii117ghts also go oascii117t to oascii117r other compatriots that are still held and for which the government is working to get released.'

France has seven other citizens held overseas, inclascii117ding six in the Sahel region of Africa and one intelligence officer in Somalia.

The last French citizen seized by the FARC was Betancoascii117rt, who was rescascii117ed by Colombian military in 2008 after six years in jascii117ngle captivity.