Colombian rebels have claimed responsibility for kidnapping a Colombian soldier serving in the French Foreign Legion, saying he is alive and in good health nearly a month after he was seized in the south-west of the country. However they warned the government against any military intervention.
The Central General Staff (EMC) – the main dissident faction to emerge from the now-defunct FARC guerrilla movement – confirmed on Sunday that its fighters had captured Corporal Jose Olger Melo Charry on 6 August in the department of Narino.