A French Foreign Legion soldier was abducted earlier this month in a region controlled by guerrilla forces in southwestern Colombia, the nation’s military announced on Thursday.
Jose Olger Melo Charry, a dual French-Colombian national, was seized on August 6 while traveling on a road in the department of Nariño, according to a Colombian army report obtained by AFP.
The kidnapping is attributed to the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the largest splinter faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which disbanded following a landmark peace agreement in 2016.
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The captors identified Melo Charry as a member of the French Foreign Legion before taking him hostage, the report noted.
Army Colonel Mauricio Osorio told Blu Radio that Melo Charry enlisted in the French military four years ago and was on leave in his native country at the time of the incident.
According to Osorio, the soldier holds the rank of corporal.
The EMC faction reportedly operates under the leadership of Iván Mordisco, one of Colombia’s most wanted armed group leaders.
These irregular armed groups, primarily engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining, frequently carry out kidnappings for ransom or to exert pressure on government authorities.
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President Abelardo de la Espriella has pursued a strategy of directly confronting these armed groups with support from the United States.
His leftist predecessor, Gustavo Petro, struggled with unsuccessful peace negotiations against multiple groups fueled by drug trafficking and illegal mining revenues.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
