Colombian authorities have rescued 27 out of 72 soldiers who were held captive in the southwest of the country in an area controlled by rebel fighters and a key zone for cocaine production.

In a statement on Sunday, the military noted 45 soldiers “remain deprived of their liberty under the guerrilla regime”.

Recommended Stories

“The National Army maintains a presence in the area, taking steps to restore order and ensure the return of the kidnapped personnel,” it added.

The incident took place in the Micay Canyon in the Cauca Department, in an area known for coca crops and a rebel faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known as the Central General Staff, that has been attacking military positions.

According to the army, the soldiers had been taking part in a military operation when about 600 people “obstructed the deployment of troops” in San Juan de Micay.

The army added that the move was “intended to facilitate control of routes used for drug trafficking and illegal mining”.

Colombia has struggled to maintain security in some rural areas, where drug gangs and rebel groups are fighting over territory abandoned by FARC after it made peace with the government in 2016.

Last year, President Gustavo Petro launched an offensive to regain control of the area, but he has encountered strong local resistance.

In a post on X, Petro said it was time to let the soldiers go free.

“They could be your children. The children of Colombia must embrace each other and outlive their parents. The dialogue commission is ready and it is the word of the president,” he wrote.

According to the government, detentions in the local community are often carried out on the orders of armed groups in the area where there is little state presence.

But this is the second time in less than a month that members of a defunct FARC group have captured soldiers.

Last month, 33 soldiers were taken by villagers under the orders of a rebel group in the southern Department of Guaviare after a gunfight that killed 10 members of the former FARC group.

At the time, the army said the villagers holding the soldiers were demanding the return of the body of the killed rebels, which was transported to a morgue in the provincial capital. The soldiers were returned four days later.