Colombia’s FARC rebels prepare to disarm

PanARMENIAN.Net - Colombia's FARC rebels say they will begin laying down their arms later on Wednesday, March 1 as agreed in a peace deal signed in November, according to BBC News.

FARC leader Ivan Marquez said the group would start by making an inventory of its weapons before handing them over to United Nations monitors.

He said it was a sign of the FARC's "unconditional commitment to peace" after more than 50 years of conflict.

The government has yet to reach a peace deal with the ELN rebel group.

The FARC said its fighters would register their weapons with UN monitors and reveal the location of any stashed explosives.

Almost 7,000 rebels are now gathered in 26 transition zones where they are being registered and offered help to reintegrate into civilian life.

But it took months rather than weeks to get them there because of what the government said were logistical difficulties.

And when they arrived many FARC members complained the camps were unfinished and they had to build their own accommodation.