Shakira Sings for Hostages' Freedom

By Caris Davis

07/21/2008 at 08:40 AM EDT

Latina superstar Shakira led an international day of protest Sunday demanding the release of hostages seized by leftist insurgents in Colombia.

Cries of "Libertad!" ( the Spanish word for freedom ) resonated at demonstrations in more than 40 cities – including London, Paris, Beijing, Miami, Sydney and New York – the AFP news agency reports.

After singing the national anthem at a parade presided over by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Shakira marked the nation's independence day by performing a set in the city of Leticia, bordering the jungle.

The guerilla cadre Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has kidnapped an estimated 700 hostages; as many as 2,000 more are thought to be held by the National Liberation Army, another leftist group.