Corsica’s most active militant separatist group is ending its armed campaign.

The National Front for the Liberation of Corsica, the FLNC, was set up in 1976 and is believed to be behind nearly 5,000 attacks on the French Mediterranean island.

In a statement, the group said “without prior notification and without ambiguity, our organisation has unilaterally decided to launch a demilitarisation process and a progressive exit from clandestine activities.”

Some 40 murders have been linked to the FLNC, whether attacks on police, government officials or buildings.

Corsica has long been dogged by bloodshed linked to demands for independence from France, as well as feuding between criminal gangs.