Bogotá, September 24 (RHC-teleSUR)-- The FARC rebel group has begun transferring its units to the areas of demobilization agreed upon in Havana with the Colombian government. The rebels will gather in these sites and lay down their arms, Colombia High Commissioner for Peace Sergio Jaramillo said Friday.
According to the agreement, the FARC must have handed in all of its weapons 180 days after the signing of the peace accord on Sept. 26. “During this time a lot can happen, including the amnesty bill discussed in Congress," said Jaramillo.
The FARC's weapons will be melted down after they are turned in, and a monument to peace built with them.
After the historic cease-fire agreement on June 23 between the FARC and the Colombian government, both sides expanded on the road-map to peace, announcing details of the 23 temporary "areas of concentration." Also known as “Temporary Hamlet Zones for Normalization," each site consists of eight encampments where FARC troops will be stationed.
A monitoring and verification procedure for the concentration areas will be implemented. The mechanism will be in the hands of members of the Colombian government, the FARC, and a U.N. Mission, who will have full access to the sites to investigate incidents or violations and publish recommendations and reports on the peace process.
