Colombia's army states fifty-seven soldiers got kidnapped

2025-06-23 07:45:09

(MENAFN) Colombian military authorities reported that 57 soldiers were taken hostage by civilians in the Micay Canyon area in the country’s southwest. Thirty-one soldiers were captured on Saturday, with the remaining 26 abducted on Sunday by a group exceeding 200 people.

Officials indicate that these civilians were coerced by dissident factions of the Farc rebel group, which had signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016.

The Micay Canyon, a mountainous area crucial for cocaine production, remains one of the most volatile regions in Colombia’s prolonged conflict with armed groups.

Brigadier General Federico Alberto Mejia, in a social media video statement, confirmed that four non-commissioned officers and 53 soldiers were seized over the weekend, labeling the acts as kidnappings.

Local media reports suggest that the EMC rebel faction, the largest splinter group from Farc, may have orchestrated the abductions, though the EMC has yet to issue any statement regarding the situation.

The Micay Canyon serves as a transport route for cocaine heading to Pacific ports, from where the drugs are illegally distributed to other countries.

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