Displaced Colombians

The conflict in Colombia has displaced nearly 4 million people—the second largest displaced population in the world. The reemergence of armed paramilitary groups is putting additional people at risk. According to UNHCR, more than 300,000 people were displaced in Colombia in 2007 and the agency expects 2008 figures to reflect a similar trend. The conflict has disproportionately affected Afro-Colombians and indigenous communities.  In addition to the large numbers displaced inside Colombia, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Colombians have fled to neighboring Ecuador, an impoverished country that is now home to the largest refugee population in Latin America.

There are significant unmet humanitarian needs inside Colombia and among the refugees in Ecuador. UNHCR has requested an additional $6 million in 2009 to assist internally displaced Colombians and $4 million more for Colombian refugees in neighboring countries.  Although UNHCR’s 2008 request for the internally displaced was fully funded, there are serious concerns about 2009 funding in view of the global economic crisis.  The situation is even more precarious for Colombian refugee assistance as only 66% of the 2008 appeal was funded by donors.  The limited funding for refugees meant that UNHCR and the World Food Programme had to suspend food rations last March for refugees and asylum seekers in Ecuador. While food assistance resumed in August after UNHCR made a special emergency request to donors, the situation remains precarious for Colombian refugees in the region.

As displacement has increased, and displaced Colombians have fallen deeper into poverty, The U.S. should take all possible steps to ensure that humanitarian assistance is more reflective of the magnitude of the crisis inside Colombia and among refugees in neighboring Ecuador.

For more information, please see a backgrounder on Colombian refugees here.