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 has 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

Eight 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 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.

At the end of 2023, there were 6.9 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. 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, approximately 293,000 people were displaced by armed conflict, criminal violence, state-civil violence and other forms of violence.

According to estimates, the number of newly displaced people will exceed 260,000 in 2024. The number of people trapped in confinement also continues to rise. Between January and October 2024, more than 100,000 people people living in remote areas were confined by NSAGs, compared to 65,000 during the same period in 2023.

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 OCHA, at least 9.3 million Colombians are affected by the presence of non-state armed actors, including the 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.

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.  

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.

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. 

Colombia continues to struggle with the effects of climate shocks. More than 1.2 million people in the country have been affected in 2024 by the El Niño phenomenon, which has 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. Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and agricultural communities have been particularly affected last year, according to the UN.

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.

According to the latest UN estimates, some 9.1 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025, as humanitarian and protection needs in Colombia have increased due to ongoing armed conflict, climate-related disasters and the growing influx of refugees and migrants.

The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Colombia seeks US$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.  

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 January 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. More than 77,000 people have been affected, including some 52,000 displaced persons, and at least 25,000 people facing restrictions on their movements and confinement due to the control and clashes between armed groups.

In Catatumbo, at least 100 people have been killed and several others have disappeared. 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. January 2025 has been reported as Colombia's deadliest month since Petro took office in 2022, creating significant challenges for his peace negotiation strategy with armed groups. 

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: 03/02/2025

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