Colombian rebels have claimed responsibility for kidnapping a Colombian soldier serving in the French Foreign Legion, saying he is alive and in good health nearly a month after he was seized in the south-west of the country. However it warned the government against any military intervention.
Issued on: 31/08/2026 - 12:13Modified: 31/08/2026 - 12:13
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The Central General Staff (EMC) – the main dissident faction to emerge from the now-defunct FARC guerrilla movement – confirmed on Sunday that its fighters had captured Corporal Jose Olger Melo Charry on 6 August in the department of Narino. The mountainous region bordering Ecuador is a stronghold for armed groups that finance their activities through drug trafficking, illegal mining and other criminal enterprises. EMC units "intercepted and took Corporal Jose Olger Melo Charry, an active member of the French Army and a member of the Foreign Legion, prisoner", the group said in a statement. The authenticity of the communiqué was reportedly confirmed a Colombian police source. "He is alive, in perfect health, and has received medical care and food," the rebel faction added. Melo, who is believed to be in his mid-30s, had arrived in Colombia shortly before his abduction. He was travelling with a woman who was also seized but released several hours later, according to Colombian authorities. The French Defence Ministry has said Melo had been authorised to take leave in metropolitan France, but had not been given permission to travel to Colombia. The French Foreign Legion is an elite branch of the French Army whose ranks are made up largely of foreign volunteers from dozens of countries. Its soldiers can be deployed alongside other French forces on operations overseas.
