Colombia

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that Colombia's humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. Escalating armed violence, severe movement restrictions, and repeated climate shocks have left millions in urgent need. In 2026, an estimated 10.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The United Nations and its aid partners launched their 2026 global humanitarian appeal on Monday to raise a total of US$33 billion to support 135 million people in need through 23 country operations and six plans for refugees and migrants. The appeal aims to save millions of lives in some of the world's most crisis-stricken regions, including those affected by war, hunger, climate disasters, earthquakes, and epidemics.

Despite Colombia’s 2016 landmark peace agreement, armed groups that did not adhere to the accord continue to maintain a presence in rural areas and impose their own rules, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned on Friday. The humanitarian organization said the growing number of fighters and armed activities within these groups are isolating the civilian population and cutting them off from essential state services and humanitarian assistance.

Amid escalating violence and intensifying humanitarian needs across Colombia, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Friday that years of progress in protecting and integrating displaced populations are at risk of being lost, and the most vulnerable will pay the highest price. UNHCR said refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) may be forced to move again in search of safety and stability, while returnees will not find conditions to resettle.

Colombia's Catatumbo region has descended into an acute humanitarian crisis following intensified violent clashes between non-state armed groups (NSAGs), in particular the National Liberation Army (ELN) and splinter groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). With more than 80 people killed in armed violence, President Gustavo Petro Urrego suspended peace talks with the ELN.

The National Liberation Army (ELN), the largest remaining non-state armed group (NSAG) in Colombia, has announced a unilateral ceasefire for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays as a "gesture of peace". In an official statement on Sunday, the ELN said the ceasefire would begin at midnight on December 23 and end at midnight on January 3.

According to the international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the number of people forced to flee their homes in Colombia has doubled since the historic peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was signed eight years ago. While more than 130,000 people were forced to flee in Colombia in 2016, NRC estimates that the number of newly displaced people will exceed 260,000 in 2024.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that forced displacement around the world has reached historic highs, driven by conflict, persecution, human rights abuses, the climate crisis and other events disturbing public order. In a report released on Thursday, UNHCR said the number of forcibly displaced people continued to rise this year and now stands at 120 million.

Seven years after the historic peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), entire remote communities remain caught in an endless cycle of conflict and confinements. The international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) today strongly urged armed groups to cease confinement strategies, allowing people to regain fundamental rights and essential services. 

A landmark truce agreed between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the largest remaining rebel group in the country, has entered into effect on Thursday. The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia will monitor and verify the implementation of the bilateral ceasefire agreement between the Government and the ELN rebel group. On Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated both sides “as they embark on a new phase in their peace process.”

For the first time, Burkina Faso tops the list of the world’s ten most neglected displacement crises, according to a new report from the humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Releasing the analysis today, the nongovernmental organization (NGO) warned that redirection of aid and attention towards Ukraine has increased neglect of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced the beginning of a bilateral ceasefire with five illegal armed groups: the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN), Segunda Marquetalia, Estado Mayor Central, the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC) and the Sierra Nevada group. The development came in an announcement in Bogota on New Year's Eve. The ceasefire will begin on Sunday, January 1, 2023 and last until June 30, 2023.

The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country’s largest remaining guerrilla group, have formally launched new peace talks. The first round of dialogue, aimed at reaching a peace agreement, started Monday in the Venezuelan capital Caracas. The relaunch of the negotiations comes more than three years after peace talks collapsed in 2019.