Nearly 3,000 FARC rebels are among the 3,352 members of illegal armed groups who surrendered this year following heavy
crackdowns by the national army, according to a Defense Ministry report
released Wednesday.
Of the surrendering rebels, 2,940 were members of
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country’s
biggest rebel group, 383 were from the second largest guerrilla group,
the National Liberation Army of Colombia (ELN), and the remaining 29
from other anti-government insurgent groups.
The rebels, who are tired of the
endless fighting, will be swiftly repatriated and resettled under a
government plan, the report said.
The number of surrendering rebels had increased by 7 percent compared with the same period last year, it added.
They include some rebel leaders, such as one of FARC’s leading commanders, Nelly Avila Moreno, better known as “Karina.”
The Colombian government has kept up
fierce attacks against the rebel groups since President Alvaro Uribe
assumed office in August 2002. Some 17,800 rebels have surrendered to
the government since then, including about 3,000 women and over 2,500
minors, the government says. (Xinhua)