BOGOTA, Colombia

The Colombian government said Tuesday that 34 soldiers have been kidnapped by dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group led by Nestor Vera Fernandez, alias Ivan Mordisco.

The kidnapping appears to be in retaliation for a recent military operation that killed Willinton Vanegas Leyva, alias “Dumar," a leader of the Central General Staff (EMC), a group of former FARC combatants who rejected a 2016 peace agreement with the then-government of Juan Manuel Santos.

The incident occurred in the rural area of El Retorno in the Guaviare department of the Colombian Amazon.

According to Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez, the soldiers were kidnapped by civilians allegedly acting under duress from the criminal group. Sanchez called the kidnapping an "illegal and criminal act.”

“This is a kidnapping; it goes against the soldiers' will. We have called on the Ombudsman's Office and the UN to demand their immediate release."

Sanchez said the kidnappers are reportedly demanding the return of the body of one of the 10 guerrillas killed in a military operation last Sunday. He said the body being requested is in San Jose del Guaviare, following standard forensic and judicial procedures.

The government said that Dumar had over 18 years of criminal history with the FARC dissidents. This blow to Ivan Mordisco's group follows the arrest of his brother, Luis Hernando Vera Fernandez, alias “Mono Luis," just last Friday, President Gustavo Petro confirmed.

Petro ordered all security forces to mobilize to rescue the kidnapped soldiers and Sanchez announced a reward for information leading to the identification and prosecution of those responsible for the crime against the security forces and the community.

This is not an isolated event. In June in the municipality of El Tambo, 57 soldiers were kidnapped by civilians acting under pressure from FARC dissidents. According to authorities, the goal was to obstruct military operations aimed at restoring state control to territories long held by drug traffickers.

Another 66 Joint Task Force Omega soldiers were held by residents of the rural area of ​​San Jose del Guaviare in August 2024 and were released after 72 hours after the mediation of the Ombudsman's Office and the UN.