French Foreign Legion soldier escapes FARC captors in Colombia

A French Foreign Legion corporal kidnapped by FARC dissidents in Colombia escaped his captors and reached safety, Colombian media reported on September 7, 2026. He was later airlifted to a medical center. José Olger Melo Charry, a Colombian national, was seized on August 6 while on leave in Nariño. After several days in captivity, he escaped and spent four days in the wilderness before reaching a police station on Saturday evening, according to El Tiempo. He was flown from El Ejido to Pasto on Sunday morning and remains under medical observation with his family. The EMC, a major FARC dissident group, had claimed responsibility for the abduction.