Peru Revives Agency That Investigates UFO Sightings After Recent Reports

After a number of alleged close encounters with the third kind in the Andean nation, Peru’s Air Force has revived its department that investigates UFO sightings.

The agency that looked into little green men, called the Department of Investigation of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena, or DIFAA, was shut down in 2006. But it was revived in response to an uptick in the number of UFO sightings being reported by citizens.

While it may seem like a spacey idea, DIFAA is no joke – the department is comprised of air force officials, astronomers, sociologists and archeologists investigating UFO sighting claims and any presence of extraterrestrial visits to Peru.

In the vein of similar programs in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay, the branch’s main task “is to organize, direct, control and collect information available to investigate and develop records and reports, as well as sorting and processing, filing and custody cases involving these phenomena from the standpoint of national security,” Agence-France Press reported.

Besides looking into visits by E.T. to Latin America, DIFAA will also work to educate the Peruvian public and dispel some common alien myths that abound in the country. Earlier this month, the agency held an event where it dismissed claims that the famous Nazca Lines, a series of ancient geoglyphs in the Nazca Desert, were made by extraterrestrial beings.

The massive drawings of animals and insects in southern Peru that can be viewed from the air were not made by visitors from beyond our planet, but instead were most likely used by ancient Peruvians as an astronomical calendar, according to German researcher Maria Reiche.

For Peruvians worried about a possible alien invasion, they can report their sighting with either photos or testimony to the agency.

The reinstatement of DIFAA, government officials said, is meant to help debunk the slew of UFO “visits” that have been sensationalized in the local media.

In the last few days, a number of residents in the town of Marabamba have reported odd lights appearing in the sky.

There is no word from officials in Lima if the agency will also employ the “Men in Black” to investigate.