Freed journalist Langlois arrives in Paris

Roméo Langlois, the French journalist who was freed on Wednesday by leftist rebels after more than a month of captivity in Colombia, arrived in France on Friday morning. Langlois, a FRANCE 24 correspondent, returned to Paris on an Air France flight and was greeted at Charles de Gaulle airport by his family and two French ministers. Minister of Culture and Communication Aurélie Filippetti and Development Minister Pascal Canfin, who is in charge of international cooperation, welcomed Langlois home. The 35-year-old journalist was captured on April 28 by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the southern Caqueta region while reporting on anti-drug operations alongside the Colombian army. On Wednesday, the rebels handed Langlois over to a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Syndicate content\'We are very, very happy.\' He was transferred overnight to the capital, Bogota, where a group of friends waited for him at the French ambassador’s residence. \'Media circus\' Wounded in the arm during the clashes that preceded his capture, Langlois was initially declared a “prisoner of war” by FARC rebels. In his first comments after his release, the French reporter criticised FARC for creating a \"media circus\" around his capture and accused them of engaging in a \"political game\", though specifying that he had not been mistreated. Founded in 1964, FARC is Latin America\'s largest and oldest guerrilla movement. The Marxist-inspired group, which is largely funded by drugs, has waged war against the Colombian government for nearly 50 years. However, in recent months FARC rebels have made small conciliatory gestures after a US-backed Colombian offensive dealt the movement a significant blow. \"FARC has suffered a number of setbacks in recent years, and they realised that they could do something with a French journalist in their hands. The liberation of Ingrid Betancourt was a huge blow to their pride,\" Langlois told FRANCE 24 after his release, referring to one of FARC\'s most high-profile hostages, a French-Colombian politician who was held captive for more than six years before her release in 2008. \'We are very, very happy\' Watching the live footage of his release at FRANCE 24 headquarters in Paris, the French journalist\'s mother, Aline Langlois, expressed relief that the release had been successful. Romeo Langlois on captivity: \"I\'ve known much worse\" \"We are very, very happy,\" said a visibly elated Aline. \"We started to feel things were going in the right direction a few days ago, and now we’re just happy. I would like to add that during all this time we were able to face the situation relatively calmly, because we received enormous support. We have been very well informed, which helped us a lot to cope with the situation.\" In a statement released on Wednesday evening, French President François Hollande described Langlois\' release as a \"moment of great joy\". \"I too feel the happiness and relief that his family, friends and colleagues at FRANCE 24 feel\", Hollande said. FARC first announced its intention to free Langlois, who also works for the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, in mid-May. It reiterated the plan in a statement issued on May 27, saying it would only do so if the Colombian army agreed to halt all operations during the reporter\'s release.