Bogotá, Colombia – Colombia’s Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed on Tuesday that 34 Army soldiers were kidnapped during a military operation in rural El Retorno, Guaviare, southern region of Colombia, where a senior commander of FARC dissidents was killed.
The minister denounced the abduction as “an illegal and criminal act,” and said some civilians were allegedly involved, claiming they sought to establish a humanitarian corridor.
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“That is a kidnapping; it goes against the will of the soldiers. We have called on the Ombudsman’s Office and the United Nations to demand their immediate release,” Sánchez told reporters after meeting with Attorney General Gregorio Eljach and other officials to review security ahead of the 2026 legislative and presidential elections.
Soldiers taken after guerrilla leader killed
The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Admiral Francisco Cubides, explained that the kidnapping took place after other clashes in the same area in which ten other guerrillas were killed.
“Continuing the military operations (…) that began last Sunday, Aug.24, yesterday troops from the Armed Forces engaged in combat with members of the self-styled Martín Villa Mobile Block, belonging to the FARC dissidents,” the admiral said in X.
The kidnapping took place in the same rural area where the Army on Sunday killed Willinton Vanegas Leyva, also known as ‘Dumar’ or ‘Chito,’ one of the top leaders of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the largest faction of FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) dissidents.
FARC dissidents are groups formerly part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who refused to lay down their arms after the Colombian peace process came into effect in 2016, or resumed their insurgency afterwards.
Dumar was considered the main commander of the EMC’s Martín Villa structure and a close ally of Iván Mordisco (Néstor Vera Fernández), the guerrilla leader most wanted by Colombian authorities.
According to Sánchez, Dumar’s role was to “consolidate strategic drug-trafficking corridors in Meta and Guaviare to strengthen the dissidents and expand their criminal apparatus.”
Government demands release, calls UN
Minister Sánchez stressed that the kidnapping disrupted an active military offensive against Mordisco’s group, which authorities have identified as the main threat in the region.
“This operation was being carried out in response to alerts from the Ombudsman’s Office to protect civilians from Mordisco’s criminal actions,” he said.
The Army reported that in the same operation that killed Dumar, another guerrilla was also killed, while six fighters were captured, including two women.
Rising security tensions in Colombia
The abduction of dozens of soldiers comes amid mounting security concerns in Colombia as the country prepares for elections in 2026.
The government has faced increasing attacks from FARC dissidents who rejected the 2016 peace deal, as well as from other armed groups expanding their presence in strategic regions.
Sánchez reiterated that the state “will not accept conditions or negotiations imposed by armed groups,” insisting that the priority remains the safe return of the kidnapped soldiers.
SOURCE : EFE. | Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |
