FARC dissidents kidnap French Foreign Legion soldier José Olger Melo Charry in Colombia
Colombian authorities and French defense officials are investigating the 6 August kidnapping of Corporal José Olger Melo Charry at an illegal roadblock in Nariño.
Roadblock abduction in Nariño
Colombian armed men abducted Corporal José Olger Melo Charry on 6 August 2026 in the southwestern department of Nariño. Melo Charry, a native of Pasto who enlisted in the French Foreign Legion four years ago, was traveling towards the municipality of Cumbitara when he was stopped at an illegal checkpoint near Puerto Remolino along the Patía River. The gunmen took him captive after identifying his affiliation with the elite French military branch. The incident remained undisclosed until his wife filed a missing-person complaint on 12 August, prompting the Colombian military specialized anti-kidnapping unit, Gaula Militar, to initiate search operations across the region.
Colonel Mauricio Osorio described the circumstances surrounding the abduction to local radio:
He has worked for four years in the French army and came on leave to his hometown. During a journey towards the north of the department, he was intercepted by armed men who kidnapped him.
French official response and leave status
The Colombian military released details of the case on 27 August after establishing initial search perimeters. In Paris, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces confirmed that Melo Charry is a serving legionnaire holding Colombian citizenship without French nationality. Officials in Paris also noted that while the corporal received authorized leave within metropolitan France, his pass did not permit international travel to Colombia. French defense and diplomatic authorities maintain contact with their counterparts in Bogota regarding the investigation.
The French defense ministry addressed the intergovernmental cooperation:
The case is monitored closely by the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The French armed forces thank Colombia for opening a judicial investigation.
- José Olger Melo Charry is intercepted at an illegal roadblock near Puerto Remolino
- The corporal's wife submits a formal missing-person report to Colombian authorities
- The Colombian military publicly reveals the kidnapping and Gaula search operation
Estado Mayor Central dissident network
Colombian military reports attribute the abduction to the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), a dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Led by Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández, known by the alias Iván Mordisco, the EMC rejected the 2016 peace accord negotiated between the Colombian government and FARC leadership. Mordisco was the first senior commander to break with the peace process, gradually consolidating disparate dissident cells under his command.
The EMC now fields an estimated 3,000 combatants across southern Colombia, the Amazon basin, and the border with Venezuela. The group relies on cocaine trafficking and illegal gold mining to finance its operations, frequently deploying kidnappings for ransom and territorial leverage against state forces. Intelligence agencies also linked Mordisco's faction to an April bomb blast in Cauca department that killed 21 civilians and injured 56.
Security policy transition in Bogota
The abduction coincides with an operational pivot under President Abelardo de la Espriella, who assumed office in early August 2026. De la Espriella pledged an expanded offensive against dissident groups and drug-trafficking networks with technical and operational support from the United States. His predecessor, Gustavo Petro, had offered a 5 billion Colombian peso (approximately $1.4 million) reward for information leading to the capture of Mordisco.
Colombian defense officials have formally notified the national Ombudsperson's office alongside international human rights organizations regarding the abduction. Gaula units continue reconnaissance in the rugged terrain along the Patía River basin to locate Melo Charry.
