Weapons Including Machine Guns, Grenades Belonging To FARC Rebels Seized By Colombian Police

The national police force of Colombia announced on Monday that it was able to confiscate a variety of weapons–including grenades and a machine gun–that belongs to dissidents from the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) group.

The confiscated arsenal of weapons comes from the dissident breakaway group Estado Mayor Central, former members of FARC who did not agree to the 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and their rebel group. They do, however, have a recent ceasefire agreement with the government, according to Al Jazeera.

The weapons confiscated included over 33 guns, multiple grenades, an M-60 machine gun, and more than 30,000 bullets. They were transported with uniforms through two vehicles which ended up being abandoned in Colombia’s Narino province, Reuters reported.

The local authorities, led by national police director General Henry Armando Sanabria, are looking into the origin of the weapons. The weapons were reportedly made in the United States, Israel, and Russia. It is unclear if they were bought through the black market or stolen from the military.

“The confiscated arsenal constitutes one of the most important blows in recent years,” Sanabria said. “With this we avoid the strengthening of an armed group.” He added that the government will be looking into if the action constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement with the government.

The administration of Gustavo Petro has been on a mission recently to create “total peace” in the conflict-ridden region, hoping to end decades of bloodshed by negotiating peace with the armed groups in the area. Petro’s government is currently conducting peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN), the largest remaining armed group in the country.

While Petro’s government has had ceasefire agreements with four armed groups around the country, an announced temporary truce with the ELN and other armed groups on New Year’s Eve did not come to fruition after the armed group said that they did not agree to those terms.