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🇫🇷 France /Conflict & Security

French Foreign Legion soldier abducted in Colombia escapes after four days in the wild

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Outcome reported
  • José Olger Melo Charry, a Colombian corporal serving in the French Foreign Legion, escaped after being held by FARC dissidents in Nariño.
  • He spent four days in the wilderness before reaching a police station and was later flown to Pasto for medical observation with his family.
  • The EMC, the main dissident faction of the former FARC, had claimed responsibility for his capture on August 6.

After four days in the wild, José Olger Melo Charry managed to escape the FARC dissidents who had held him in Colombia's Nariño department and make his own way to a police station, according to Colombian media.

The Colombian corporal, who serves in the French Foreign Legion, had been abducted while on leave on August 6. He was travelling on a road in the southwestern department when the kidnapping took place. The EMC, described as the main dissident faction of the former FARC, claimed responsibility for his capture.

El Tiempo reported that Melo Charry reached the police post on Saturday evening after spending four days in the wilderness. On Sunday morning, he was flown by helicopter from El Ejido to Pasto, the capital of Nariño.

After arriving in Pasto, he was taken to a medical centre, where he remained under observation accompanied by his family.

About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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