Nearly three dozen Colombian soldiers who were abducted by armed civilians in the country’s southeast have been freed, Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed on Thursday.

The soldiers, 33 in total, were kidnapped on August 25 during an operation in the rural municipality of El Retorno, Guaviare department. Their abduction followed clashes in the area that left 11 guerrillas dead, including a commander of a dissident faction of the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

According to the minister, the soldiers were taken hostage shortly before they were due to evacuate the region. Their release marks a significant, if fragile, step in Colombia’s ongoing struggle with dissident groups who continue to defy the landmark 2016 peace deal.

El Retorno and its surrounding jungle areas are known strongholds of FARC dissidents who rejected the peace accord. The region is considered a strategic corridor for drug trafficking, with vast coca plantations serving as the raw material for cocaine production. Authorities also accuse the group of forcibly recruiting minors and pressuring local residents to resist the presence of state forces.

Kidnappings of security personnel remain a recurring tactic in Colombia’s conflict, which has spanned six decades and claimed more than 450,000 lives. Despite government efforts, such incidents highlight the persistent challenges facing President Gustavo Petro’s peace strategy, launched in 2022 to end hostilities with armed groups.

Rights organisations have criticised the initiative, arguing that it has yielded limited results and that violence continues to plague rural communities.

While the safe return of the 33 soldiers has been welcomed, Colombia’s broader security landscape remains volatile, with dissident factions entrenched in lucrative drug corridors and scepticism growing over the effectiveness of the government’s peace approach. (AriseNews TV)

•Colombia’s armed forces commander shakes hands with soldiers after their release in San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia, on August 28, 2025 [Colombian Armed Forces/AFP]