The Colombian army has confirmed that more than 50 soldiers have been kidnapped by civilians in a southwest mountainous area, specifically in the Micay Canyon, a region known for cocaine production and ongoing security crisis.
The kidnappings occurred on Saturday and Sunday, with a platoon of soldiers being seized during an operation in El Tambo, and another group being surrounded by at least 200 residents as they headed towards the town of El Plateado.
According to the army, a total of four noncommissioned officers and 53 professional soldiers remain deprived of their liberty. General Federico Alberto Mejia, who leads military operations in the southwest, described the incident as a “kidnapping” by rebels who have “infiltrated” the community.
The Colombian army believes that the civilians in the region receive orders from the Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that refused to be part of a peace deal with the government in 2016.
President Gustavo Petro has stated that freeing the soldiers “is imperative”. Petro has been trying to ensure that the country’s armed forces gain access to Micay Canyon, but his government has struggled to contain violence in urban and rural areas as several rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the FARC after the peace deal. The peace talks between the FARC-EMC faction and the government broke down last year after a series of attacks on Indigenous communities.
In a recent development, about 100 soldiers were released after being taken hostage by armed groups in the southeast of the country.
The Peasant Guard, a local militia, claimed their presence endangered local communities. Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez stated that the kidnapping could result in a rupture of the ceasefire with dissident armed groups of the former FARC.
“The ongoing kidnapping of soldiers in San José del Guaviare will necessitate a reconsideration of the ceasefire with the Jorge Suárez Briceño bloc. The three-month extension, effective until Oct. 15, should be suspended if there is no genuine commitment from that illegal group,” Velasquez said.
The situation in Colombia remains volatile, with many fearing a return to the bloody violence of the 1980s and 90s, when cartel attacks and political assassinations were frequent. The country has been plagued by violence and instability for decades, and the government continues to face challenges in its efforts to bring peace and security to its citizens.