Thirty-three Colombian soldiers were released after being held captive for three days in the remote Amazonian village Nueva York in Guaviare province. The troops were detained after clashes with an armed group that killed at least ten people, and villagers blocked roads to prevent their departure. Negotiations led by government officials, the Ombudsman's Office and the United Nations secured the soldiers' release and escorted their withdrawal. Authorities initially reported 34 detainees but later revised the number to 33. Mass detentions of security personnel are a recurring tactic in southern Colombia, where the state has limited presence and armed groups exert influence. The army filed a formal complaint and deployed reinforcements.
Thirty-three Colombian soldiers have been released after being held captive for three days in a remote Amazonian village dominated by armed rebel factions and drug crops, the country's Ombudsman's Office said. At this moment, soldiers are withdrawing from the village Nueva York, said Iris Marin, the head of the Ombudsman's Office, in a post on X on Thursday, as troops were escorted out of the rural community in Guaviare province.
The soldiers had been detained on Monday after clashes with an armed group killed at least 10 people. Villagers then blocked roads, preventing the soldiers from leaving, in what the government of President Gustavo Petro described as a kidnapping. We urge people not to stigmatise the community, Marin added. Officials from the government, the Ombudsman's Office, and the United Nations led negotiations that secured the soldiers' release.
Mass detentions of security forces have become a recurring tactic in Colombia's southern regions, where the state has a limited presence, and armed groups often hold sway in communities. The army has filed a formal complaint with the attorney general's office over the incident. Military commander Admiral Francisco Cubides said reinforcements had been deployed to prevent any attacks in this hostile environment and claimed locals were being manipulated by rebel factions.
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