Here’s something you rarely read about: a war that has ended. In Colombia, the FARC rebels have surrendered their weapons and agreed to a peace plan with the government they have waged war against for more than five (!) decades. From Newsweek…
FARC began as a group of farmers in the 1960s, but gradually became an armed Marxist group that attacked government and civilian targets, particularly in Bogota. The battle between FARC and successive governments killed over 200,000 people over more than 50 years.
FARC began laying down their weapons in a five-stage process from March 1, during which U.N. workers were responsible for checking, listing and storing each weapon in white metal containers, for a total 7,132 arms. The containers are located in 26 demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) camps where the FARC rebels have been living since September to transition back to society. The last weapons left are those used to provide security on those camps, and will be surrendered before the final UN deadline of August 1.