Bogotá, March 17, 2017 - As a first step in the process of gradual stockpiling of weapons, the UN Mission in Colombia has received 140 individual arms of men and women from the FARC-EP who are part of the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities tripartite Monitoring and Verification Mechanism. This step follows the initial stages, which the Mission announced on February 28.

At the end of the ongoing registration and identification process the UN Mission will have an inventory with the total number of FARC-EP weapons.

The UN Mission is present in FARC-EP camps—where the arms laydown will take place— for the observation of weapons. At these sites, the Mission will progressively receive weapons under the monitoring of its observers.

In parallel and in coordination with the FARC-EP, the Mission has begun the process of planning and verification of the destruction of unstable weapons such as munition, mines and explosives.