Colombia's main rebel group has said it will free the last of the government captives it has held for years and abandon the practice of kidnapping.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) said on its website on Sunday that it would release 10 "prisoners of war", who were the last in its control, although it did not say it was abandoning hostilities. The government says the rebel group holds at least 12 captives and all must be freed before talks to end the long civil conflict can start. The rebels announced on 27 December they would free six captives, but said a month later that they were delaying the release because of a government "militarisation" of the area where the release was planned. It did not specify the location or set a date.

That announcement prompted President Juan Manuel Santos to tweet: "My God, no more tricks and deception. We don't even know where the hostages are. They haven't provided the co-ordinates. Free them now!"

The Farc, Latin America's last major rebel movement, the Farc was founded in 1964. It has been releasing captives piecemeal since early 2008.