A faction of Colombia’s former FARC guerrilla movement handed over its first batch of weapons and munitions to the government on Wednesday, marking a significant step in President Gustavo Petro’s efforts to end the country’s decades-long armed conflict.
The National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army (CNEB), one of five dissident groups that emerged after the 2016 FARC peace deal, delivered explosives, grenades, mortars, and other armaments as part of a 14-ton cache it has pledged to surrender.
The symbolic handover took place in the southern town of Puerto Asís, Putumayo Department, in the presence of President Petro and rebel leaders.
The war materiel was later destroyed in a controlled detonation by the Colombian Army in a nearby rural area. Officials said two additional deliveries are expected in the coming days in the neighboring department of Nariño.
CNEB leader Walter Mendoza described the event as “a sign of goodwill for peace,” while expressing frustration over the slow pace of government investment in neglected rural regions.
Mendoza has previously said full disarmament and demobilization will depend on state development projects such as roads, schools, and hospitals.
The CNEB, which has around 2,000 fighters and collaborators, splintered from the Second Marquetalia faction led by former FARC commander Iván Márquez, who in 2019 rejected the original peace accord, accusing the government of failing to uphold its commitments.
Analysts say the progress with CNEB represents one of Petro’s few tangible achievements in his broader “Total Peace” initiative, which seeks to demobilize over 20,000 fighters from rebel and criminal groups involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining.
Talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) and other dissident factions have stalled in recent months, with limited success beyond small-scale disarmament agreements.
With less than a year left in Petro’s term, the latest gesture by the CNEB could offer a rare glimmer of hope in Colombia’s long pursuit of peace.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
