Thousands have been forced to flee escalating violence this year
BOGOTA (AlertNet) – Escalating violence by armed groups has forced thousands of Colombians to flee their homes this year, the United Nations said.
About 5,500 Colombians, many from Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities living in the country’s Pacific coastal areas, have been displaced in 20 separate events during the first two months of 2012, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Colombia.
“Increased armed actions are causing serious humanitarian consequences including civilian casualties and displacements,” OCHA said in its latest report.
Some mass displacements took place in areas where government and aid agencies have limited access, and the displaced lack health care, food, protection and education, OCHA said.
Colombia's main left-wing guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), fuelled by its large stake in the cocaine trade, has waged a nearly five decade war against the Colombian army in a bid to topple successive governments and take power.
CHILDREN CAUGHT IN MIDDLE
Indigenous and Afro-Colombian children are often caught in the middle of Colombia's armed conflict. Many of them live in isolated and far-flung jungle regions where rebels tend to have more power because the state military's presence is weak and sporadic.
The threat of rebels using children to fight in their forces is one of the main reasons why Colombians flee their homes.
“Children, adolescents and youth continue to be the victims of forced recruitment, direct threats, kidnappings, attacks and school occupations,” OCHA said.
Earlier this month, 25 children living in the southwestern Colombian province of Narino had to enrol in a school across the border in Ecuador following threats against teachers by illegal armed groups in the jungle region.
With nearly 4 million internal refugees, Colombia has one of the highest displacement populations in the world.
Last year, 144,109 Colombians were uprooted - an increase of 7 percent compared to 2010 - according to government figures.
Colombia spends millions of dollars every year providing humanitarian relief and subsidies to uprooted communities, and last year the government created a rapid response team to provide emergency food and shelter to displaced people.
Despite this, state agencies are overstretched and cannot meet all the needs of the newly displaced, OCHA said.
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