On the 26th, Colombia's Defense Minister Sánchez posted on social media that 34 Colombian soldiers were kidnapped by unidentified individuals after a military operation targeting anti-government armed groups on the 24th.
He stated that the kidnappers were dressed in civilian clothes and demanded to obtain the body of an armed member who died in the military operation, and that the identities of these individuals are still under investigation. The Colombian side has requested support from the United Nations and other international organizations, demanding the immediate release of all soldiers.
Sánchez said that recently, government forces launched a military operation against the anti-government organization "Central General Staff" in Guaviare province in south-central Colombia, killing one of the group leaders, Banegas; nine other armed members were killed and two captured.
In June this year, 57 soldiers of the Colombian government army were kidnapped by a faction under the "Central General Staff" in Cauca province in the southwest, but were all later rescued.
The Colombian government and the "Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia" signed a peace agreement in 2016, ending half a century of confrontation. The latter disarmed and transformed into a political party in 2017, but some members opposed and formed separate branches, including the "Central General Staff."