Pedro Sánchez isn’t exactly Rambo – he doesn’t fit the prototype special forces general. Sánchez is of average height and stocky build, with teenage acne scarring on his face. During our interview, he apologizes once, goes to the bathroom, sheds a few tears for his late parents, and returns with red eyes. On his shelf is a book about socialism. He calmly gives orders to subordinates who constantly interrupt our conversation. While leading the search for the lost children, Sánchez frequently listened to flamenco pop music. He spilled cane liquor over the Amazon as they flew overhead in search of the children. Indigenous leaders supporting the search said it was a gift to the mother jungle for the four siblings’ safe return. After 40 days, Lesly, Soleiny, Tien and Cristin were finally found. EL PAÍS interviewed General Pedro Sánchez in his office at the military barracks in northern Bogotá to find out how these children survived in an environment teeming with life yet so dangerous.
Ask: When were you assigned to lead the search for the children?
answer. We were planning more special operations in Bogotá when the plane crashed on May 1st. My initial hope was that the occupants were still alive and could soon be located by radio beacons and other means. Four days passed without success, and I realized that maybe they would ask for our help. My mastery of this unit was the reason I got the job, not because I was the best qualified. General Giraldo, in charge of the armed forces, has asked me to lead the initiative.
Q And then he called the President?
TO. I have no idea.
Q You had to go to the command post in San José del Guaviare, near the jungle.
TO. The President’s concern was justified – a plane carrying tribal people and four minors was in trouble. I spoke to the air force commander and offered my help. We knew it was going to be difficult, but our elite troops are trained for precisely this type of mission, even if it’s outside of our usual remit. We are a team that doesn’t shy away from a challenge. After receiving permission from General Giraldo, we deployed a unit on May 5th. We aborted an ongoing operation I was overseeing in Medellín and focused on the missing plane. The next day we were on site in San José with the mission not only to locate the missing plane but also to assess the risks in the area. The site is manageable, but the drug crime groups operating there pose a major problem.
Q But there is a bilateral ceasefire with the FARC [guerrilla] dissidents…
TO. Yes, but my men know to act when faced with a threat. Hesitation means death.
Pedro Sanchez; June 16, 2023. Diego Cuevas
Q. How come the children were found just five kilometers away? [3 miles] from the plane?
TO. After walking about 15 miles, they became disoriented [15 miles]. Difficult to navigate there and they came back to the site by accident.
Q How do you know they ran 15 miles?
TO. Based on the evidence we found. [Sánchez shows us a map of the children’s estimated route that shows them reaching a certain point and then backtracking].
Q. Did you discuss this with the children?
TO. No, we found that out. We haven’t spoken to them. We need the children’s input to complete the story.
Q. What role did Lesly play in keeping her siblings alive?
TO. She was the leader – what she did mattered. First, she never lost her will to live, and second, she was very resourceful.
Q. For example?
TO. It’s best to wait and see the whole story. What I am telling you is just a guess and conclusion. For example, she had lost her scissors, but was ingeniously cutting branches to protect herself with only her teeth. When they ran out of food, she chewed fruit and fed it to the baby. She has also salvaged things from the plane wrecks to help them survive.
Q like what
TO. Farina [a coarse flour made from yucca], clothes, a mosquito net and everything in the first aid kit. She also changed the baby’s diaper.
Q Where did she get diapers from?
TO. They had them on the plane. We found three discarded diapers in different locations.
Q What do you think of the theory that they kept silent out of fear when they heard you nearby?
TO. I can only tell you that we passed within 40 meters [130 feet] of it once. And they heard us. Both the soldiers and the indigenous leaders. And Lesly heard the helicopter and the loudspeakers. But I don’t know why she didn’t help us find her. She’s the only one who knows that. In the jungle you can get lost after only 20 meters [65 feet] away.
Q Why did you personally go into the jungle?
AI had three reasons to go. First, to ensure the mission was on track. Secondly, to increase the morale of the troops by reassuring them that we will succeed. In closing, I want to reassure myself because even if we found her dead, we could say that we haven’t given up the search.
Pedro Sánchez welcomes the Murui, Siona and Coreguaje indigenous leaders who have joined the search; San Jose del Guaviare; 21 May 2023. Mauricio Duenas Castaneda (EFE)
Q. How many times have you been down there?
TO. Only once, two days before I found her. I arrived on Wednesday 7th June. The indigenous guides suggested I ask about the children in the jungle. I wanted to build trust with them, so I went and the first thing we did was pray, “Oh, Mother Jungle, allow these humble mortals to find these children and bring them home soon.” Then I closed joined the search party in the jungle and stayed there overnight. I saw firsthand how difficult it was. I saw the persistence of the indigenous leaders, but also their helplessness. My men had been there for 30 days, so I ordered other troops to come and relieve them.
Q. You offered whiskey and cane liquor to the jungle.
TO. I sent for some whiskey, but the natives told me it wasn’t necessary.
Q Why?
TO. Because the spirit accepts moonshine – the sugar cane liquor. There are many theories about this. All I can tell you is that I had to reconcile military science with indigenous beliefs. And with that in mind, we had to give them confidence and show them that what they say matters. Are you Catholic?
Q. NO.
TO. Well, for you, Our Lady of Fatima [the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal] could be a fairy tale. Who is right? I don’t know. All I know is that I had to respect them, and if they came to help, it must have been for a good reason.
Q How did you find out they found the kids?
TO. General Cota, the commander of the special operations mission, informed me personally. He said, “Wonder, wonder, wonder – they found them!” I asked how they were and he told me they were all alive.
Q. Was repeating “miracle” three times code to report they were alive?
TO. It is repeated three times for confirmation, something like “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”.
Q. What happened in the plane crash? The four children survived, but all three adults on board, including the mother, died?
TO. engine damage. The pilot called an emergency call and attempted an emergency landing. A tree hit the nose and the engine was ripped off. The aircraft then crashed nose-first to the ground with no engine.
Q. How come the four children were unharmed?
TO. It’s a miracle. The farther back in the plane, the greater the chances of surviving the crash.
Q. Do you think they were behind?
TO. That’s confirmed. They sat in the back.
Q. did you talk to the kids
TO. Just Lesly. I asked her if she heard her grandmother’s voice from the helicopter and she said yes. I didn’t want to ask any more questions. What matters is that they are alive. We’ll find out the rest later.
Q. How did you manage to deal with the global hype surrounding this story?
TO. It’s important for me to have a clear understanding of my role – conducting special operations and directing this unit. I’ve been devoting 90% of my energy to the news media lately because it’s important to our country, but I have important work to do elsewhere. Right now I’m reviewing two special operations.
Pedro Sánchez in his office in BogotáDiego Cuevas
Q. What was your daily routine like?
TO. I woke up at 5am hoping that day we would find the missing children. At 8am I was compiling reports, reviewing updates to the operation, and coming up with new ideas for our search. Every night my son asked if we had found them and I had to say no – it was heartbreaking. But I never lost faith that we would find her the next day.
Q. Did you leave Bogotá for San José because the search got stuck?
TO. During my visit there, I delved into the operational and tactical details, made decisions and transmitted information. I feared that silence would provoke criticism, so I made sure we communicated everything about the well-being, logistics, information and supplies of our troops. Once we found evidence [of the children]Media coverage intensified, so I had to protect our troops on the ground from any distraction. Coordination with the indigenous people was crucial and added new demands to an already arduous and challenging mission.
Q. What was the most difficult day?
TO. May 18th. That day we received the news of a new footprint. We had found more footprints over the past three days and I felt like we were getting closer. We quickly mobilized all of our resources, including helicopters, planes and satellite imagery. “It’s time tonight,” I said. We sent troops to the ground in the area of the footprint and I told them they couldn’t sleep and continued for the next 24 hours. Those 24 hours—those golden hours—would be crucial to finding them. We brought recordings from her grandmother and played them through a megaphone. We’ve tried everything and found nothing. I began to wonder, “What is happening here?” So I decided to ask the Jungle Mother to return the children to us.
Q The 36th day of the search was also tough.
TO. Yes Monday 5th June I went to a local chapel in Bogotá and sought divine guidance. I prayed and read the Bible but got no answer. I asked God for a sign, but then I realized that He just wanted me to have faith and take action. That’s when I decided to go to the jungle.
Q. How is it?
TO. Beautiful but hostile. Very tall trees, dense vegetation with roaming dangerous animals like tigers and jaguars, poisonous snakes, poisonous plants and mosquitoes with diseases that can kill you. Sometimes you can’t see the sun because the jungle is so dense, and sometimes it rains for 16 hours straight. It’s a place that can easily swallow you up if you’re not careful.
Q. How many more days do you think the children could have survived under these conditions?
TO. Tien, the 5-year-old boy, could only have lasted three more days. He was very weak. The baby, maybe a week.
Q. What about Lesly and Soleiny?
TO. They fought but persevered. They were well fed and a little plump, which was vital to them.
Q. Is this the longest quest in Colombia’s history?
TO. No, there was another one, a search for a dead prosecutor who fell from a military helicopter during an operation.
Q Did it take you longer to find the prosecutor’s body?
TO. We never found him – that was in 2014. But this was the first time battle-hardened men were deployed on a search, equipped with satellite skills, planes and everything needed to find survivors. The indigenous population would not have been able to reach the search area on their own and would not have been able to feed themselves for so long. We needed both elements to be successful.
Q How does all of this affect you personally?
TO. As a general, I feel we have accomplished our mission. As a person, it really touched me. Every time I thought about the kids, I thought about my own son. Every time I thought about her parents, I thought about my wife. This created a very strong connection. I did it out of conviction. I think what we’re doing here saves lives every day, including on combat missions. We protect the weakest people in our country and our men give their lives to do so. I don’t know if you’ve seen the photo gallery below?
Q. forks.
TO. It is good news for our country that can unite us and help us move forward.
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