Colombian hostages fought among themselves

BOGOTA, July 7 (UPI) -- Hostages held by Colombian leftist rebels for years sometimes fought among themselves during their detainment, a former captive told CNN Monday.

Former Colombian Sen. Luis Eladio Perez, who spent four of his seven years as a captive of the rebels alongside recently freed hostage and former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, said the other captives squabbled during their prolonged imprisonment at the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Perez said that Betancourt faced sexual abuse at the hands of the rebels and other torments including being chained by the neck to a tree and other captives. He also alluded that Betancourt had the occasional spat with other prisoners.

Following her release last week, Betancourt, 46, recounted how Colombian forces dressed as FARC rebels duped her captors into transporting her and 14 other hostages in a helicopter, only to turn the tables on the rebels once the aircraft lifted off.

The Colombian government has been fighting the FARC for more than 40 years.