French legionnaire abducted in Colombia: escape on foot after a month in captivity
A corporal of the Foreign Legion, who went missing on 6 August in Colombia, has regained his freedom after fleeing his captors on foot, a dissident faction of the FARC.
One month in captivity in Nariño, then four days' march to freedom
According to France Info, a French legionnaire abducted in Colombia by a dissident group of the FARC is now free. Corporal José Olger Melo Charry disappeared on 6 August in the department of Nariño, a mountainous and rural region in the south of the country where he was on holiday.
His capture was claimed by a dissident armed faction of the FARC that never laid down its weapons. In a statement, the group justified the abduction in these terms: "His capture was carried out after confirming his status as a foreign military officer in a place where military operations against our units are taking place."
A photograph of the legionnaire in handcuffs subsequently circulated in Colombian media, confirming his detention in an unidentified location.
Escape on 1 September, refuge in a police station
The corporal's escape reads like an action film scenario. Abducted near the village of Cumbitara, he reportedly fled on foot on 1 September. For four days, he reportedly crossed the mountain ranges of the region before finding refuge in the police station in Policarpa.
Taken into care by Colombian authorities, he was transferred the same day to the city of San Juan de Pasto, then taken to a medical centre. A military source confirmed to France Info on Monday 7 September that the corporal is safe and well.
A photograph released by the Colombian press that same day shows him free. The French Ministry of Defence had not yet reacted officially at the time of publication of this article.
Source: France Info