Nearly three dozen Colombian soldiers abducted by armed civilians in the country’s southeast have been released, Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed Thursday.

The 33 soldiers were taken hostage on August 25 during an operation in El Retorno, a remote municipality in Guaviare department. Their capture came after clashes in the area left 11 guerrillas dead, including a commander of a dissident faction of the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

According to Sánchez, the troops were seized just before they were scheduled to leave the region. Their release marks a fragile but notable development in Colombia’s struggle with FARC dissidents who continue to resist the 2016 peace accord.

El Retorno and the surrounding jungle remain strongholds for FARC dissidents, who exploit the area as a key corridor for drug trafficking. Vast coca plantations fuel the cocaine trade, and authorities accuse the groups of forcibly recruiting minors and pressuring residents to oppose state forces.

Kidnapping security personnel has long been a tactic in Colombia’s six-decade conflict, which has claimed more than 450,000 lives. Despite the government’s efforts, these incidents underscore the obstacles facing President Gustavo Petro’s peace strategy, launched in 2022 to negotiate with armed groups.

Human rights organisations argue Petro’s initiative has delivered few results so far, with violence persisting in rural communities. While the soldiers’ safe return has been welcomed, analysts warn Colombia’s security landscape remains unstable, as dissident groups remain entrenched in drug corridors and scepticism grows about the government’s approach.