About 30 soldiers on patrol in eastern Colombia were reportedly detained by villagers.
According to the national media report, the soldiers who were on patrol in Vista Hermosa town of Meta administrative region were detained by the villagers.
It was claimed that the soldiers were forced by the villagers on the grounds that they did not comply with the bilateral ceasefire announced by President Gustavo Petro on 31 December 2022.
Speaking to Noticial Caracol, the Governor of Meta, Juan Guillermo Zuluaga, stated that the soldiers did not break the bilateral ceasefire and that they were performing a routine patrol.
"The normal duties they perform do not violate the President's decree. The region is not a demilitarized place, the public force must be there," he said.
On the other hand, it was also stated that the Ombudsman Office and local and regional representatives would go to the region to mediate and ensure the release of the soldiers.
