Conflict & Security
French Foreign Legion soldier escaped with hands tied
French Foreign Legion soldier Jose Olger Melo Charry escaped Colombian guerrilla captors by overpowering a guard and jumping into a river while his hands were tied, a senior Colombian military source told AFP.
Melo Charry, a Colombian citizen serving in the French Foreign Legion, was abducted on August 6 in southwestern Narino department while on leave in Colombia. He had been held for nearly a month by a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla group.
The military source said Melo Charry asked to be taken away from the rebel camp to relieve himself, then fought with his guard, immobilised him and took his rifle. Still bound by the hands, he jumped into a river and managed to free himself.
The soldier then walked for four days through the Colombian Andes before reaching a police station. The source said he hid at night and took cover whenever motorcycles passed. During the escape, he found a way to contact his family, who passed a message to security forces that he was in the mountains.
A photograph shared by the French Armed Forces with AFP showed Melo Charry at a hospital in an olive T-shirt and pants, with no visible injuries. Authorities said Monday that he was in good health and remained under military protection while undergoing medical checks.
The Central General Staff, or EMC, the largest dissident FARC faction that rejected Colombia's 2016 peace deal, claimed responsibility for the abduction. It did not demand a ransom but warned Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella against any rescue attempt.
France's Defense Ministry said Melo Charry had not been authorised to travel to Colombia. He had been travelling with a woman who was also taken hostage and released hours later.
Kidnapping is used by Colombian armed groups for extortion or political pressure. Colombian-French politician Ingrid Betancourt became one of the best-known victims when FARC captured her in 2002 while she was campaigning for the presidency; she was rescued six years later in a military operation.
Update
A senior Colombian military source said Melo Charry asked to leave the rebel camp to relieve himself, then overpowered a guard and took his rifle.
The military source said Melo Charry jumped into a river while his hands were still tied and later freed himself.
The source said Melo Charry hid at night during a four-day walk and contacted his family to alert security forces that he was in the mountains.
The source said guerrillas treated Melo Charry as a high-value captive and kept his hands, feet and neck bound for much of his captivity.
A photograph shared by the French Armed Forces with AFP showed him at a hospital with no visible injuries.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 September 2026 at 01:45:24 UTC.
Update
Melo Charry presented himself to police in Policarpa after a four-day walk and was transferred to a hospital in Pasto.
A Colombian army official said he was undergoing medical tests and receiving psychological support.
The official said he had been placed under security-force protection because of fears for his safety and for relatives in the region.
The details of his getaway remain unclear.
The source item adds context on the French Foreign Legion and Colombia's armed-group violence.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 15:53:57 UTC.
Update
Melo Charry was taken hostage on August 6 while travelling on a highway in southwest Colombia during leave.
France's Defense Ministry said he joined the French army four years ago and had no authorization to travel to Colombia.
The Central General Staff, a breakaway FARC faction, had claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The abductors did not demand a ransom.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 14:40:19 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The detailed escape account is attributed to an anonymous senior Colombian military source.
The supplied accounts differ on whether Melo Charry is in his early thirties or mid-thirties.
Source
AFP news report published on .