Colombia's FARC rebels complete move to demobilization areas

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Original Publication Date: February 18, 2017 12:03PM

Publication Updated: April 26, 2025 4:55PM

BOGOTA – Officials say roughly 6,900 members Colombia’s largest rebel group have arrived in special transition zones to begin disarming, completing a key step in a revised peace deal that seeks to end more than five decades of armed conflict.

A statement issued Saturday by the peace process’ Monitoring and Verification Mechanism said the final 300 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia fighters had arrived at a zone in Caqueta province.

Thousands of combatants, travelling from their jungle camps by foot, vehicles or boat, have gathered in recent weeks in more than 20 demobilization areas where they will begin turning over their weapons to United Nations-sponsored monitors.

Carolina Azevedo, chief of communications for the U.N mission in Colombia, confirmed that the movement of the rebel fighters to the zones had been completed.

President Juan Manuel Santos signed a revised peace agreement with the FARC in November after an initial accord was rejected by voters in a referendum.