Civilians Kidnap 57 Colombian Soldiers In Major Cocaine Producing Zone

Source: Africa Publicity

The Colombian army has announced that civilians in the south-western Micay Canyon area of Colombia have kidnapped 57 soldiers.

According to the army, 31 soldiers were kidnapped on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

It says the rest of the soldiers were kidnapped on Sunday, June 22, 2025.

The army says the soldiers were kidnapped by a group of over 200 civilians, saying

the civilians are acting under pressure from dissidents of the Farc rebel group, which agreed a peace deal with the Colombian government back in 2016.

The mountainous region is a key zone for cocaine production and remains one of the most tense in the country’s ongoing conflict with rebel groups.

The coca crop grown in a mountainous area in Colombia 

In a video statement on social media, Brig Gen Federico Alberto Mejía disclosed that four non-commissioned officers and 53 soldiers had been seized over the weekend, adding that “This is called kidnapping.”

Reports in local media suggest that the EMC rebel group – the largest offshoot of the Farc – may have ordered the kidnappings. The EMC has not commented on the issue.