UFO Department Reinstated by Peru's Air Force [VIDEO]

A department researching anomalous aerial phenomena - UFOs - is being revived by a South American country's armed forces.

Interest in little green men and other unexplained phenomena have been boosted in Peru by recent sightings of luminous objects in the skies over the town of Marabamba, in the central Andes.

The Department of Investigation of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena, or DIFAA, brings together sociologists, archaeologists and astronomers as well as air force personnel. They will analyse how often sightings occur, and at what times, said Colonel Julio Vucetich, according to the official Andina news agency.

The colonel brings solace to people "who observe seemingly unconventional phenomena, which cause surprise or concern, [and to] know that there is an institution that will study and research your information."

DIFAA was first created in 2001, but was closed down five years ago due to administrative problems, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph. Other agencies investigating unexplained phenomena also exist in regional neighbours, including Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

Peru's office is now being reopened because of "increased sightings that are occurring in the country and that people are reporting to media," Col Vucetich added.

The official unveiling was made at a meeting in Lima convened by the Peruvian Air Force, at which discussion was devoted to UFOs and Peru's mysterious Nazca lines, a series of massive, ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in Southern Peru.

The Nazca geoglyphs are thought to have been created between 400 and 650 AD and extend for more than 50 miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. They portray a range of human figures as well as a number of different animals and plants. Some believe the Nazca geoglyphs were created by alien beings.

In 2012, there was a widely reported UFO sighting in the district of La Molina. In another, Peruvian cabinet ministers on a fact-finding trip to the Peruvian jungle were amazed to see a huge unidentified ship sail cruise over their heads.

Watch video of a UFO sighting in Peru