33 Colombian soldiers freed after being held by rebels in Amazon village

Thirty-three Colombian soldiers have been released after being held for three days in a remote Amazonian village dominated by armed factions and coca plantations, the Ombudsman’s Office said Thursday.

The soldiers were detained on Monday following clashes with an armed group that left at least 10 people dead. Villagers then blocked roads and refused to let them leave — an act the government of President Gustavo Petro described as a kidnapping. Marin urged the public “not to stigmatise the community.”

The release came after negotiations involving government officials, the Ombudsman’s Office and the United Nations. Authorities initially reported 34 soldiers were held but later corrected the number to 33.

Such mass detentions of troops have become a recurring tactic in Colombia’s south, where state control is weak and armed groups hold sway. The army has filed a complaint with the attorney general’s office. Military commander Admiral Francisco Cubides said reinforcements were deployed “to prevent any attacks in this hostile environment” and claimed locals were “being manipulated” by rebels.

The group involved is led by Ivaan Mordisco, a dissident commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who rejected the 2016 peace deal. His fighters last week detonated a truck bomb in Cali, killing six and injuring more than 60.

Authorities accuse Mordisco’s group of recruiting children, intimidating communities and protecting drug routes. The Amazon corridor where the soldiers were detained is a hub for coca cultivation, the base ingredient for cocaine.

Petro’s “Total Peace” plan, launched in 2022 to negotiate with armed factions, has so far struggled to contain violence, according to rights groups.