Skip to main content

Colombia's Farc has completed disarmament, UN says.

Colombia's Farc has completed disarmament, UN says.

United Nations Mission in Colombia shows one of its members carrying FARC weapons during an
inspection at La Elvira, Colombia, 13 June 2017.

The registration by UN monitors of Farc weapons ran over schedule drawing concerns the handover would never be completed.

Farc rebels in Colombia have handed over all of their personal weapons, completing the transfer of arms a day ahead of a revised schedule, United Nations monitors in Colombia say.

A total of 7,132 weapons have been registered and boxed away, the UN says.

The monitors said they had also found and emptied 77 out of the Farc's 900 arms caches hidden around the countryside.

The arms handover is a key condition in last year's peace agreement.

The deal seeks to end more than five decades of conflict and negotiations between Colombia's largest left-wing rebel group and the government.

But US monitors have warned that the task of locating and emptying the Farc's remaining caches could take many months because of the difficulty in reaching them.

Some of them are reachable only by river or foot through dense jungle and mountain terrain.

Many are booby-trapped and need to be painstakingly dismantled.
UN monitors have been listing and registering all weapons handed in by the Farc

Many Colombians are concerned that if there is any delay, these weapons could fall into the hand of criminals, paramilitaries or the ELN, Colombia's second-largest left-wing rebel group.

All these groups are seeking to occupy territory relinquished by the Farc under the peace deal and take over their drug-trafficking activities.

In the meantime, President Juan Manuel Santos, who won a Nobel Prize for his efforts in securing the peace deal with the Farc, is expected to attend a symbolic ceremony on Tuesday in the town of Mesetas, south of Bogota, to mark the end of the disarmament process.

Mesetas was once a Farc stronghold during the 52-year conflict with the state in which 260,000 people lost their lives.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Okpebholo suspends A-G & LG Chair under 3 months over finance dealings

The Edo Government has announced the suspension of Samson Osagie , its Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and Damian Lawani , chairman of the Local Government Service Commission. Mr Musa Ikhilor , Secretary to the State Government (SSG) announced the suspension in a statement in Benin on Thursday morning. ALSO READ: Kano Govt suspend 2 school principals for alleged absenteeism, negligence Ikhilor said the two-state top officials were suspended over allegations of “grave official and financial interactions”. Okpebholo suspends Edo Attorney-General and LG Service Commission Chairman According to him, the suspension, which takes immediate effect, is pending the conclusion of an investigation into the allegations. The SSG said; It is hereby announced for the information of the general public that Gov. Monday Okpebholo has approved the suspension from office of the Chairman of Edo Local Government Service Commission, Damian Lawani and Commissioner for Justice, Samson Os...

Family Homes Funds, TETFund & Private Investors Lead National PPP Drive for Renewed Hope Student Housing Projects

The Renewed Hope Student Housing Project is a Public Private Partnership initiative of His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR that is set to improve the living standards and revitalize infrastructure across Tertiary Institutions in the country with a plan to deliver 38,400 world class student hostel bed spaces across a total of 24 locations: 12 Universities, 6 Polytechnics & 6 Colleges of Education. The Renewed Hope Student Hostel Project in each of the 24 locations will boast 1,600 bed spaces, 400 ensuite rooms with study table and chairs, 4 reading rooms, common room, cafeteria & restaurants, laundromat, grocery shops, salons, public toilets etc.  Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Africa Plus Partners Nigeria Limited is set to deliver on Mr. President’s promise to transform student accommodation nationwide through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Renewed Hope Stude...

NYSC Mobilisation & Academic Standards – Raising quality or adding pressure on students?

On September 29, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a reform linking the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation process to the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD). By invoking Sections 2(4)(4) and 16(1)(C) of the NYSC Act, Tinubu stated that no graduate, whether from a Nigerian or foreign institution, will be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of compliance with the NERD policy. In a common man's understanding, the Federal Government has announced that Nigerian students must now submit their final-year projects or thesis before they can be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). This policy aims to improve academic standards, ensuring that no student skips essential academic requirements before entering the NYSC scheme . On the surface, this sounds like a laudable idea, but a deeper look reveals a different reality. In many universities, students are allowed to graduate and mobilised for NYSC  ...