57 Colombian soldiers were kidnapped by civilians in the Micay Canyon, located in the southwest of the country, the BBC reports, BTA reports, quoted by News.bg.
According to army information, the incident took place over the weekend - 31 soldiers were captured on Saturday, and the remaining 26 - on Sunday. The total number of detainees is 4 non-commissioned officers and 53 privates. More than 200 people were involved in the kidnappings.
The military claims that the locals acted under pressure from dissidents of the former FARC rebel group, which signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016. According to local media, the EMC group, the largest branch of the FARC, may be behind the operation.
General Eric Rodriguez explained that tensions escalated after the arrest of a suspected EMC member on Saturday. During an attempt by soldiers to evacuate him by helicopter, they were surrounded by more than 100 civilians. The next day, another unit was also detained by an even larger group.
All the soldiers are being held in one place, and the military assures that intensive negotiations are underway for their release.
The Micay Canyon is a strategic area for cocaine trafficking - from there the drug is transported to Pacific ports, from where it is illegally exported abroad. The Colombian army has been patrolling the area since October and says it is actively capturing and neutralizing armed fighters.
The military estimates that more than 90 percent of the local population relies on growing cocaine bushes for a living. General Rodriguez stressed that the army's presence is perceived as a threat to the income of locals who are tied to the illegal drug trade.