A Franco-Colombian soldier from the French Foreign Legion was kidnapped in early August in a region of Colombia controlled by the guerrillas, the Colombian army announced on Thursday August 27.
José Olger Melo Charry was taken hostage on August 6 while driving on a road in the department of Narino, in the southwest of the country, according to an army report consulted by AFP.
Those allegedly responsible for the kidnapping are dissidents from the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) guerrillas, who refused to sign the 2016 peace agreement with the government, the document said.
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The rebels kidnapped him after realizing he belonged to the French Foreign Legion, according to the same source.
José Olger Melo Charry, a corporal in the French army for four years, was on leave in his country of origin, Colonel Mauricio Osorio told Colombian radio station Blu Radio on Thursday.
Kidnappings to extort money
The group accused of the kidnapping is led by a man known as Ivan Mordisco, Colombia’s most wanted guerrilla.
The country’s armed groups, mainly involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining, use kidnappings to extort money or put pressure on authorities.
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President Abelardo de la Espriella, a member of the hard right, has displayed, since coming to power in early August, a policy of merciless fight against guerrillas and drug traffickers, with the support of the United States.
His left-wing predecessor, Gustavo Petro, himself a former member of another disbanded guerrilla group, had failed in most of his attempts to make peace, and many experts point out that the armed groups grew stronger during his presidency.
With AFP
