---
title: "At least 34 soldiers kidnapped in Colombia after clashes with FARC dissidents"
description: "BOGOTA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - At least 34 soldiers were kidnapped by armed civilians in a jungle area of southeastern Colombia after clashes that left 11 guerrillas dead, including a commander of a dissident faction of the former FARC rebel group, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-08-26-at-least-34-soldiers-kidnapped-in-colombia-after-clashes-with-farc-dissidents/"
published: "2025-08-26T20:59:11"
updated: "2025-08-26T20:59:12"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 191
---

# At least 34 soldiers kidnapped in Colombia after clashes with FARC dissidents

> BOGOTA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - At least 34 soldiers were kidnapped by armed civilians in a jungle area of southeastern Colombia after clashes that left 11 guerrillas dead, including a commander of a dissident faction of the former FARC rebel group, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

By Reuters · Published 26 August 2025, 22:59 SAST · Updated 26 August 2025, 22:59 SAST

## Key points
- In a jungle showdown that could rival a telenovela plot twist, former FARC fighters turned renegades have taken soldiers hostage in a drug-trafficking hotspot, proving once again that Colombia's peace deal was more of a suggestion than a ceasefire.
- Clashes in El Retorno, Guaviare involve EMC, a faction of former FARC fighters opposing the 2016 peace deal.
- Soldiers were kidnapped while evacuating after a military operation that killed an EMC commander and ten rebels.
- Colombian officials condemned the incident as a "criminal action" by armed groups in civilian clothing.
- The region, a key drug trafficking corridor, remains volatile despite the peace agreement, with armed groups still active.

## Content

The clashes occurred in a rural part of the El Retorno municipality in the southeastern province of Guaviare and involved members of the Central General Staff (EMC), a group of former FARC fighters who rejected a 2016 peace deal with the government.

Sanchez said the soldiers were taken as they were evacuating the area following a military operation that killed an EMC commander and 10 other rebels.

"This is an illegal, criminal action by people in civilian clothing," Sanchez told reporters. "This is a kidnapping."

The jungle region is considered a strategic corridor for drug trafficking and is known for its extensive coca crops, the main ingredient used to produce cocaine.

The kidnapping follows a similar incident in June, when [57 soldiers](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AS0N3S004O&linkedFromStory=true) were held captive for two days in a mountainous southwestern region, another stronghold for a FARC dissident faction.

Armed groups, who fund themselves through drug trafficking, illegal mining and other crimes, remain present in Colombia after a six-decade conflict that has left over 450,000 dead, despite the peace deal with the FARC, Colombia's then-largest rebel group.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Sarah Morland)