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 2024, the country has an estimated population of about 52.1 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
Seven 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. 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. 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 (NSGAs) and recurring natural disasters continue to displace people, exacerbate food insecurity and health concerns among vulnerable groups,
At the end of 2022, there were 6.8 million internally displaced persons, making 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. Nearly 110,000 people have been displaced or confined by the armed conflict in 2021 alone. In 2022, high levels of violence worsened the humanitarian crisis in some regions. At least 339,000 people were uprooted by large scale displacement or confined in their communities by violence involving illegal armed groups.
While some progress was made in 2023 in reducing the violence of armed conflict through ceasefire agreements, concerns remain about increasing territorial and social control by non-state armed groups, including child recruitment, landmine contamination, displacement, gender-based violence, and restrictions on mobility and access. In 2023, nearly 105,000 people were affected by conflict and approximately 100,000 were internally displaced.
At least 58,000 people living in remote areas remain confined by NSAGs. While tens of thousands remain physically confined, some 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. 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 NSAGs.
Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are facing increased protection risks. 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 in 2022.
As of February 2023, approximately 30 percent of Colombian households were food-insecure, while more than half of the migrant and refugee population in Colombia - 1.3 million people - were facing acute food insecurity.
Colombia is the country most impacted by the Venezuela crisis, hosting some 2.9 million of the 7.7 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 Turkey and Iran -, and is one of the most neglected displacement crises in the world.
Increasing numbers of migrants, refugees and other people in need of international protection transit through Colombia and the Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama, on their way to North America, facing grave protection risks. The Darién Gap is an area of rainforest that connects Central America with South America. Despite its dangers, the land bridge has become an important corridor for migrants and refugees trying to reach the United States. A record 520,000 people crossed the Darién Gap in 2023, more than double the number reported the year before.
In 2024, approximately 8.3 million people will require life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase from 2023. 50 percent of those in need are women and 30 percent are children. At 23 percent, ethnic communities - 1.9 million people - are disproportionately affected.
According to the OCHA, 7.7 million people in Colombia were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023; among them were 2.4 million children.
The 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, and will be in effect for six months. The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVIC) will monitor and verify 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 is 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 last year's bilateral ceasefire for six months.
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.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM): Donate
https://donate.iom.int/ - International Rescue Committee (IRC): Colombia
https://www.rescue.org/country/colombia - UNHCR: Venezuela emergency
https://www.unhcr.org/venezuela-emergency.html - Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): Colombia
https://www.nrc.no/countries/south-america/colombia/ - International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Colombia conflict
https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/americas/colombia/colombia-conflict - World Food Programme (WFP): Colombia
https://www.wfp.org/countries/colombia - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Colombia
https://www.msf.org/colombia - Save the Children US: Colombia
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/colombia
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
- ACAPS: Colombia complex crisis
https://www.acaps.org/country/colombia/crisis/complex-crisis - European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): Colombia
https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/latin-america-and-caribbean/colombia_en - UN OCHA: Colombia
https://www.unocha.org/colombia - Human Rights Watch: World Report 2024: Colombia
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/colombia - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC): Colombia
https://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/colombia - International Crisis Group: Colombia
https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/andes/colombia - International Organization for Migration (IOM): Colombia Crisis Response Plan 2023/2024
https://crisisresponse.iom.int/index.php/response/colombia-crisis-response-plan-2023-2024
Last updated: 23/02/2024