SIXTY-SIX soldiers who had been “kidnapped” by villagers in southern Colombia have been released unharmed, the Defence Ministry said on Monday.

It added that the soldiers will continue operations against rebel groups in the province of Guaviare.

Colombia’s army has long struggled to defeat rebel groups in Guaviare, which has been heavily affected by deforestation and cocaine trafficking.

Posting on social media platform X, the Defence Ministry said that the soldiers had been held since Friday by a large number of villagers on orders from local rebel group the Jorge Suarez Briceno front.

On Sunday, Defence Minister Ivan Velasquez threatened to break off a ceasefire with the Briceno front if the soldiers were not released.

Provincial Governor Yeison Roja said that while some of the villagers could have been influenced by the rebel group, others were protesting against the army’s presence because they don’t want any more fighting in the area.

The Briceno front is part of the Farc-EMC, a group of about 4,400 fighters that split recently, with 40 per cent continuing peace negotiations with the government, while the rest are have returned to fighting the army in rural areas.