According to a statement by the Colombian army, a dual-national French Foreign Legion soldier was kidnapped in early August.
The statement states that the soldier kidnapped was José Olger Melo Charry, a French and Colombian national serving in the French Foreign Legion, an elite military unit comprising soldiers from around 150 countries. The soldier was abducted on 6 August by members of the “Estado Mayor Central,” the main splinter faction of the now-defunct FARC rebel group.
Corporal Melo Charry, who has been serving in the French army for four years and was on leave in his home country at the time of the incident, was reported to have been abducted, Army Colonel Mauricio Osorio said on Thursday during a broadcast on the national radio station Blu Radio. According to information, the group led by Iván Mordisco – Colombia’s most wanted guerrilla leader – is behind the abduction.
Local guerrilla factions, whose illicit activities are based on drug trafficking and illegal gold mining, have long turned kidnapping into a lucrative industry. Kidnappings in Colombia are used not only for the simple purpose of extorting a ransom, but also as a powerful means of exerting pressure on the government in Bogotá, particularly given the stalled peace talks with the rebels.
Colombia’s new president, Abelardo De la Espriella, backed by US President Donald Trump, has warned that his government will focus on combating the activities of guerrilla groups involved in cocaine smuggling within the country. The previous government, however, failed to reach a peace agreement with the guerrilla factions.
