Benedetti says there has been no response to the kidnapping of soldiers to 'avoid a massacre'; he will ask for international assistance.

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti condemned the kidnapping of soldiers in the La Hacienda neighborhood of El Tambo, Cauca. He declared it a "cowardly act, a kidnapping."

Likewise, he asserted that citizens must understand that "it's not that there is no response from the State," adding: "What's happening is that they take the population and force it to surround the Public Force. Once they are surrounded, the militiamen come."

The Interior Minister said that so far there has been no response from the authorities because this would lead to a "massacre, and what happened would be a catastrophe in our history."

Armando Benedetti reiterated his confidence in the security forces and that the 57 kidnapped officers will be released: "They're not just kidnapping 57 members of the security forces, but also the legitimacy of the state."

The head of the ministry concluded by saying: “ At this moment, we are seeking international involvement. The criminals are talking about detention, but I warn you, all these people will be prosecuted here . We must be clear that seeking military action now would be inappropriate given the number of civilians in the area.”

We fully condemn the kidnapping of the 57 soldiers in Cauca. Here are some explanations of what happened to the Colombian people: pic.twitter.com/GSkeXLYoUz

— Armando Benedetti (@AABenedetti) June 23, 2025

On Saturday, military troops captured a suspected member of the Carlos Patiño group in the Pambilal sector, near the village of La Hacienda. While troops transported the detainee to an evacuation point for airlift, more than 100 people surrounded the soldiers.

In an interview with EL TIEMPO, General Erik Rodríguez, the acting commander of the Army, indicated that this incident marked the beginning of what would later result in the detention of 27 soldiers. He stated that a second unit that was nearby was intercepted and taken to the same location by an even larger group of people, bringing the total number of uniformed personnel detained to 57.

“Currently, all the soldiers are together and in good condition. The individuals who led the detention have not requested direct communication with organizations such as the Ombudsman's Office or the Mission to Support the OAS Peace Process (MAPP-OAS). Instead, they have maintained direct communication with the Division Commander, without making any formal requests for the reasons for the act,” the officer said.

Finally, he noted that in recent hours, talks have taken place between national authorities and community leaders involved in the detention.