A total of 644 cadres of eight rebel groups in the northeast surrended with arms in Guwahati on Thursday.

The rebel groups included United Liberation Front Asom (ULFA), National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), Rabha National Liberation Front (RNLF), Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), CPI (Maoist), National Liberation Front of Bengali (NLFB).

The official surrender was held in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday.

Earlier this month, banned NDFB signed an agreement with the government for suspension of operations.

According to the pact, the NDFB under the leadership of its 'president' B Saoraigwra will abjure violence and join in peace talks with the government.

The tripartite agreement was signed by representatives of the NDFB and the central and Assam governments, the officials said. Active members of the NDFB including Saoraigwra were brought back from Myanmar on January 11.

Top leaders including Saoraigwra, its 'general secretary', 'commander-in-chief' and 'finance secretary' were part of the group, an official said.

The group carried 25 weapons, more than 50 magazines, more than 900 assorted ammunition and communication equipment with them. Saoraigwra's group was active in Myanmar along with other northeast insurgent groups.

The demand for a separate state for the Bodos has been in going on in Assam for about five decades with several Bodo overground and militant groups raising it, leading agitations, protests and violence that resulted in many deaths.

Agreements were signed in 1993 and 2003 to resolve the vexed issue. A Bodo Territorial Council under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution was created in 2003 to meet political, developmental and identity-related aspirations of the Bodos.