San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia – Thirty-three Colombian soldiers have been freed after being held for three days in a remote Amazon village under the control of armed rebel groups and drug traffickers.
The soldiers were released on Thursday, August 28, after intense negotiations led by the Colombian government, the Ombudsman’s Office, and the United Nations.
They had been detained since Monday, after a deadly clash with armed fighters in the village of Nueva York, located in the southern province of Guaviare.
The area is known to be a stronghold of dissident groups that rejected Colombia’s 2016 peace deal and continue to operate in drug trafficking zones.
The soldiers were reportedly captured after a firefight broke out, leaving at least 10 people dead.
Following the clash, villagers blocked roads and surrounded the soldiers, refusing to let them leave.
Although some community members said the soldiers were not kidnapped, the government under President Gustavo Petro labeled it as a mass abduction and said the community had been manipulated by rebels.
The initial report stated 34 soldiers were taken, but the number was later corrected to 33.
The soldiers were freed peacefully through talks involving:
UN representatives
Colombian Ombudsman’s Office
National government negotiators
The head of the Ombudsman’s Office, Iris Marin, said the troops were safely escorted out of the village and asked the public not to stigmatize the community, many of whom live under constant pressure from armed groups.
The rebel group responsible is believed to be led by Ivaan Mordisco, a former commander of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), who rejected the 2016 peace agreement.
Mordisco’s fighters are accused of:
Using child soldiers
Planting truck bombs (like the one in Cali last week that killed six)
Controlling villages through fear and violence
They also operate in a region heavily tied to coca production, the main ingredient for cocaine.
The Colombian army has:
Filed a formal complaint with the Attorney General’s Office
Sent reinforcements to Guaviare to prevent further attacks
Accused rebels of using local villagers as human shields
Although President Petro began a “Total Peace” initiative in 2022 to end decades of conflict, many critics say progress has been slow, and violence in rural areas is still a major concern.
