A rebel group begins handing weapons over to the Colombian government as peace talks advance

A rebel group called the Commoners of the South has begun handing its weapons over to Colombia’s government, the Defense Ministry said Saturday, as part of peace talks expected to lead to the group’s disarmament in the coming months.

The group of about 250 fighters operates in Colombia’s Southwestern Nariño province and has been in negotiations with the government since last year.

Until recently, the Commoners of the South was part of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, a group of about 6,000 fighters that is still fighting Colombia’s government.

In May last year, the Commoners broke away from the ELN and began peace talks with the administration of President Gustavo Petro. That angered the ELN’s leadership and stymied its negotiations with Colombia’s government.

Petro, who was part of a rebel group in his youth, has been staging peace talks with nine separate rebel groups and drug trafficking gangs in Colombia under a strategy known as “total peace.”

Most of these negotiations have failed to reduce violence and so far only the Commoners of the South have agreed to begin a transition toward civilian life.