Rebel group in Colombia defects [View All]

[Bacchus39]

Small Rebel Group in Colombia Defects By ARTURO ROBLES, Associated Press writer
Wed Mar 8, 1:43 AM ET



ALVARADO, Colombia - A small group of leftist rebels wearing ski masks and brandishing assault weapons renounced their guerrilla army's four-decade-old insurgency in a gesture the government touted ahead of Sunday's congressional elections.

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The 70-member La Gaitana company of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, handed over 63 weapons and a small aircraft Tuesday during a ceremony near Alvarado, a town 50 miles west of Bogota.

It was the largest desertion from the FARC, estimated at 12,000-strong, since President Alvaro Uribe was elected in 2002 on a law and order platform.

The group's commander, asking his compatriots for forgiveness, said he hoped his disarmament would be an example for the FARC's central leadership. "This crazy war cannot last any longer. The country and its peasants want peace," Julian Rios said.

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