Colombia Crisis

Colombia Map
Source: OCHA/ReliefWeb

The country

Gaining independence from Spain in 1810, Colombia is a country in the northern part of South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. The country shares land borders with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. Its capital is Bogotá. Colombia covers an area of 1,138,910 square kilometers. In 2025, the country had an estimated population of about 53.1 million people, making it the second most populous state in South America after Brazil. Colombia is a middle-income country and one of the oldest democracies in Latin America.

The humanitarian situation

Nine years after the peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was signed, the humanitarian situation in Colombia is still marked by large scale internal displacement and insecurity due to armed violence, with 10.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2026.

The country has endured more than half a century of intense armed conflict, perpetuated by widespread illegal drug production and trafficking and rooted in territorial control by armed groups. The increased impact of natural hazards related to climate change and the integration of 2.9 million Venezuelan refugees are also driving humanitarian needs in Colombia.

Violence among non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and recurring natural disasters continue to displace people, exacerbate food insecurity and health concerns among vulnerable groups. The fragmentation of NSAGs and the intensification of conflicts among them have frayed the social fabric of affected communities, severely hampering compromising freedoms, security and autonomy, thus straining the state's capacity to protect.

Colombia has the highest rate of conflict-related displacement in the Americas and remains among the top three countries with the largest number of internally displaced people (IDPs) worldwide, with approximately 7 million. Only Sudan, which currently experiences the world’s largest displacement crisis, and Syria, which has for many years suffered the largest displacement crisis, surpass Colombia.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Colombia's Catatumbo region, which began in February 2025, has had the greatest impact of any humanitarian emergency last year, displacing more people than any other crisis in 2025. It is also the largest event of large-scale forced displacement ever documented in Colombia, and accounted for one-third of all IDPs nationwide. 

More than 100,000 people have been displaced, primarily to the municipalities of Cúcuta, Ocaña, and Tibú, while tens of thousands of others have been confined. However, other situations of internal displacement in 2025 highlight the worsening humanitarian situation in various parts of Colombia. Last year, crises persisted in the Pacific and northwestern regions and spread to the Caribbean and Amazon, indicating the expansion of conflict into previously stable areas.

More than 1.5 million people were affected by conflict and violence in Colombia in 2025, which is more than a threefold jump compared to 2024. Armed conflict is the main driver of this surge, followed by natural disasters and restricted humanitarian access.

Mid-last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that continued escalation of the conflict would make 2025 the worst of the past decade in humanitarian terms. Adding to this severity, humanitarian organizations increasingly struggle to access conflict-affected populations.

In 2025, hundreds of thousands of people in Colombia endured restrictions on their movement and access, as well as confinement or displacement, due to armed conflict and clashes between non-state armed groups and security forces. As a result, communities hade limited access to food, health care, and other vital services.

30 percent of the Colombian population is food insecure, meaning that 15.5 million people do not have sufficient access to food and have difficulty meeting their basic needs. Of the 15.5 million food insecure Colombians, 2.1 million are severely food insecure and 13.4 million are moderately food insecure.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 9.9 million Colombians are affected by the presence of non-state armed actors, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), FARC dissident groups, paramilitary successor groups, and drug trafficking gangs. Civilians in different parts of Colombia suffer serious human rights violations at the hands of these armed groups.

The fragmentation of non-state armed groups and the intensification of their conflicts have severely damaged the social fabric of affected communities, greatly hampering access to human rights and undermining freedoms, security, and autonomy. This has strained the state's protection capacity.

Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are facing increased protection risks. Last year, 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.  

Meanwhile, massive funding cuts are hampering the mobilization of humanitarian aid.

As of January 2026, the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan that sought US$342 million to assist the most vulnerable 2 million of the 9 million people in Colombia that required humanitarian assistance had only received 25 percent of its funding, with $84 million received, following extreme funding cuts by the United States.

In 2025, only some 970,000 people across 349 municipalities in Colombia received humanitarian aid. Humanitarian organizations working in Colombia have been severely impacted and have responded with drastic measures, including suspending a number of field programs. There are deep concerns about the impact of the funding crisis on people in urgent need.

Colombia is the country most impacted by the Venezuela crisis, hosting some 2.9 million of the nearly 8 million Venezuelans who have sought refuge outside their country. The South American country is home to the third-largest number of people in need of international protection in the world - after Iran and Turkey  -, and is one of the most neglected displacement crises in the world.

In addition, Colombia continues to struggle with the effects of climate shocks. More than 1.2 million people in the country were affected in 2024 by the El Niño phenomenon, which fueled wildfires and led to water shortages in almost all regions of the country. The country is highly vulnerable to a range of natural hazards, particularly floods and landslides, which displace thousands of people every year. 

In 2024, Colombia experienced a significant increase in natural disasters, adding to the already complex humanitarian situation resulting from armed conflict and mixed movements of refugees, internally displaced people, and migrants. Adverse weather events, exacerbated by climate change, have disproportionately hit the most vulnerable communities, including those already impacted by conflict and mixed migration.

This year, 10.4 million people in Colombia are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance — 6.9 million under the  Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), and 3.5 million under the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) — a 30 percent rise in severe needs compared to 2025. 

According to OCHA, this rise stems from the overlapping impacts of conflict, climate shocks, and migration, as failed peace efforts and the expansion of non-state armed groups drive displacement, confinement, and social control, while recurrent disasters worsen conditions in already vulnerable areas.

The 2025 HRP for Colombia sought $342 million to address the urgent needs of two million of the most vulnerable people in the country, out of the more than nine million people in need of humanitarian assistance this year. Some 9.1 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance last year, as humanitarian and protection needs in Colombia had increased due to ongoing armed conflict, climate-related disasters and the growing influx of refugees and migrants.

In 2024, approximately 8.3 million people required life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase from 2023. 50 percent of those in need were women and 30 percent were children. At 23 percent, ethnic communities - 1.9 million people - were disproportionately affected. As of January, 2025, only 56 percent of the US$332 million requested for the Colombia 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) were funded.

According to OCHA, 7.7 million people in Colombia were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023; among them were 2.4 million children.

Colombia LocationThe security situation

After four years of formal peace negotiations, the Colombian government signed in November 2016 a final peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which was subsequently ratified by the Colombian Congress. The peace agreement calls for members of the FARC to demobilize, disarm, and reincorporate into society and politics. The demobilization of the largest rebel group and the formation of a new political party are some of the most important results of the peace building process.  The Truth Commission, established in 2016 as part of the peace agreement, published its final report on June 28, 2022. The 800-page document addresses human rights violations and events during the armed conflict between 1986 and 2016.

However, armed groups, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), dissidents of the FARC, paramilitary successor groups and drug-trafficking gangs continue to operate in the country. 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. These armed groups are competing for territorial control and illicit economies in territories previously controlled by the FARC. Violent clashes between the new armed groups are causing the majority of new humanitarian needs.

The ELN rebel group is the nation's largest remaining guerrilla organization. Colombia's government and the ELN agreed to restart peace talks in November 2022.  The United Nations commended the decision and urged both parties to seize the opportunity to bring an end to a deadly conflict whose resolution is critical for expanding the scope of peace in Colombia. On November 21, a first round of peace negotiations began, follow by further talks in March and May 2023.

Despite decades of internal conflict and security challenges related to illicit economies, Colombia maintains rather strong and independent democratic institutions. In August 2022, the country saw a peaceful transition to the newly elected president, Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego. The Colombian government is working to re-establish state control in various areas through an approach combining security as well as economic and social development.

Since taking office, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has made great efforts to promote peace in the country. On December 31, 2022, the president announced the beginning of a bilateral ceasefire with four illegal armed groups: Segunda Marquetalia, Estado Mayor Central, the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC) and the Sierra Nevada group. The six-month ceasefire began on January 1, 2023, and lasted until June 30, 2023. 

On June 9, 2023, the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) agreed to a six-month ceasefire during talks in Cuba. The ceasefire was fully implemented on August 3. The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVIC) monitored and verified the implementation of the bilateral ceasefire agreement.

The six-month truce between the authorities and the largest remaining rebel group in the country followed ten months of negotiations and marked a big step in the ongoing peace process. The ceasefire was designed to help improve the humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas. The developments renewed hope for comprehensive peace in Colombia. 

In February 2024, the government and ELN extended the 2023 bilateral ceasefire for six months. The one-year ceasefire lasted from August 2023 to August 2024; in August 2024, the ELN resumed attacks against security forces and key infrastructure.

Analysts say that although the Colombian president has not been able to reach a lasting agreement with the remaining armed groups, his willingness to engage with them rather than wage an all-out war against them has helped to reduce the level of violence in the country.

Yet in February 2025, the Colombian region of Catatumbo, in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander, descended into an acute humanitarian crisis following intensified violent clashes between non-state armed groups, in particular the National Liberation Army and FARC splinter groups. The clashes have led to unprecedented mass displacement, the worst in the last 28 years. The situation has also affected migrants and refugees from Venezuela in the region. Following the unrest, President Gustavo Petro Urrego suspended peace talks with the ELN. 

Donations

Your donation for the Colombia emergency can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to rapidly provide water, food, medicine, shelter and other aid to the people who need it most.

There are currently few active appeals for the Colombia crisis. You may also consider an unearmarked donation to organizations that are active in the country or an earmarked donation for the Venezuela refugee crisis.

To find other organizations to which you can donate, visit: Humanitarian Crisis Relief, Refugees and IDPs, Children in Need, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Medical Humanitarian Aid, Vulnerable Groups, Faith-Based Humanitarian Organizations, and Human Rights Organizations.

Further Information

Last updated: 18/01/2026

Tags