Gunmen kidnap 29 military officers in Colombia

No fewer than 29 members of the Colombian military officers have been abducted by armed gunmen in the Cauca province of the country.

It was learnt that the abduction was carried out by the dissidents of the Carlos Patino faction, a group of former rebel named Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who rejected the 2016 peace agreement. 

The incidents occurred in the towns of El Plateado and La Hacienda, where security forces have been engaged in an ongoing operation against armed groups for the past month. 

According to source, the group did not only kidnap soldiers and policemen in two municipalities, they also set two official vehicles ablaze during the attack.

In a statement released on Friday, Colombian Minister of Defense Pedro Suárez confirmed the kidnapping was perpetrated by the Carlos Patino faction, while warning their action violates human rights law.

“The national government, through the Ministry of National Defense, denounces and strongly condemns the attempted homicide and subsequent kidnapping of 29 members of the Public Force in the corregimiento of El Plateado and La Hacienda, in the municipalities of Argelia and El Tambo, respectively, in the department of Cauca,” Sanchez wrote.

“The life and safety of the kidnapped members of the Public Force is the direct responsibility of those who committed this repudiatory crime. These acts constitute war crimes that violate International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, by displacing, confining, isolating and terrorizing the civilian population, preventing the exercise of their fundamental rights and freedoms,” he added.

“In coordination with the Attorney General’s Office, and based on the evidence collected, progress is being made in the identification and individualization of those responsible, who face charges of attempted homicide, kidnapping and other serious crimes, with penalties that can reach up to 20 years in prison,” he detailed.

Meanwhile, the government has vowed to do everything in its power to secure the release of the kidnapped officers, while continuing its efforts to combat dissident factions across the country.