CCANO, Peru, Jumada II 23, 1437, April 01, 2016, SPA -- The remains of 40 peasants killed more than two decades ago by Maoist-inspired rebels have been returned to their loved ones for burial, Peru's government said Thursday, according to AP. Justice Minister Aldo Vasquez asked for forgiveness on behalf of the Peruvian state for its role in the conflict at a ceremony held Wednesday with the support of the International Red Cross in the central highland village of Ccano. In recent years forensic teams have exhumed and identified the remains of thousands victims of Peru's 1980-2000 conflict. Fighting in the Andean nation is believed to have claimed more than 70,000 lives. --SPA 03:32 LOCAL TIME 00:32 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w