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.
"Imagine the distress of facing constant threats from gunmen imprisoning you in your home or village, enduring this ordeal day after day, year after year. The constraints placed on civilians' freedom of movement clearly violate International Humanitarian Law, which all parties involved in the conflict in Colombia must respect," said Giovanni Rizzo, NRC's country director in Colombia.
"We urgently appeal to the Colombia government to continue to address the prolonged neglect suffered by numerous remote communities, who are unjustly deprived of fundamental rights such as accessing education, freely navigating their villages, and cultivating their crops. Additionally, we urge the international community to step up efforts to support the rising humanitarian needs in Colombia."
Despite the peace agreement, at least 58,000 people living in remote areas remain confined by armed non-state actors and criminal groups. In some regions, conflict has escalated since FARC disarmed, as other non-state armed groups seized control over strategic areas, natural resources, and key drug smuggling routes.
The control over populations translates into dominance over territory and illicit economies. Non-state armed groups employ tactics such as threats, landmines, killings, sexual violence, armed violence, and curfews to restrict mobility in areas where the state's presence is lacking. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are some of the worst affected and are facing increased protection risks.
While tens of thousands remain physically confined, an alarming 537,000 individuals find themselves unable to move freely within their area due to the armed conflict, experiencing restricted access to essential services such as food, water, healthcare, and education. This situation is exacerbated by the government's limited presence and insufficient humanitarian response in conflict-affected areas.
In 2023, tens of thousands of women, men, and children from Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities have been newly displaced or forcibly confined due to violence. Despite Indigenous People representing only 4 percent of Colombia’s population, they comprised more than 40 percent of the people affected by humanitarian emergencies of mass displacement and confinement last year.
Seven years after the peace accord between the Colombian government and the FARC was signed, the humanitarian situation in Colombia is still marked by large scale internal displacement and insecurity due to armed violence. The country has endured half a century of intense armed conflict, perpetuated by widespread illegal drug production and trafficking and rooted in territorial control by armed groups.
Since taking office in August 2022, new Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego has made great efforts to promote peace in the country. During his term, the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country's largest remaining guerrilla group, officially launched new peace talks.
A landmark truce agreed between the Colombian government and the ELN entered into effect in August 2023. The six-month truce between the government and the largest remaining rebel group in the country follows ten months of negotiations and marked a big step in the ongoing peace process. The ceasefire is designed to help improve the humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas.
Armed groups, including the ELN, dissidents of the FARC, paramilitary successor groups and drug-trafficking gangs continue to operate in the country. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 5.8 million people in the country live under the influence of non-state armed groups.
Civilians in various parts of Colombia suffer serious human rights abuses at the hands of those armed groups. In the shadow of the FARC and the Colombian government peace accord, other irregular armed groups increased their actions, particularly in rural areas.
At the beginning of 2023, there were 4.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). This makes Colombia one of the countries with the highest number of IDPs in the world. More than 142,000 Colombian refugees and some 68,000 asylum seekers are hosted in third countries. At least 339,000 people were uprooted by large scale displacement or confined in their communities by violence involving illegal armed groups in 2022.
In addition, Colombia is the country most impacted by the Venezuela crisis, hosting some 2.9 million of the 6.8 million Venezuelans who have sought refuge outside their country. According to the United Nations, 7.7 million people in the South American country are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023; among them are 2.4 million children.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Colombia is home to the third-largest number of people in need of international protection in the world - after Turkey and Iran, and is one of the most neglected displacement crises in the world, according to the NRC.
Further information
Full text: Colombia: Peace remains elusive for tens of thousands trapped by armed groups, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), press release, November 23, 2023
https://www.nrc.no/news/2023/november/Colombia-peace-remains-elusive-for-tens-of-thousands-trapped-by-armed-groups/