Ten days after the deadly earthquake struck Colombia, the United Nations and its partners launched their humanitarian response appeal on Friday. According to Colombian authorities, at least 319 people have been killed and more than 280,000 people have been affected overall. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake destroyed over 31,000 homes and damaged thousands of educational, community, and health facilities.
The appeal, coordinated by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Colombia, complements the government-led response and seeks US$148 million to support 671,000 of the most vulnerable people with health care, shelter, food, nutrition, education, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
The HCT has called on donors and aid agencies to strengthen the response, alleviate suffering, and support the recovery of affected communities. Even before the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of families were in need of humanitarian support due to armed conflict and limited access to basic services, livelihoods, and infrastructure.
Today's plan adds to the existing $472 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for 2026, bringing the total to nearly $620 million. Additional support is urgently needed, however, as the combined appeal has received less than half of the necessary funding.
Donors have mobilized $35 million for the earthquake response so far. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Thus far, aid agencies have provided assistance to over 34,000 people in more than 18 municipalities.
On Friday, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva that the earthquake had worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Colombia, where hundreds of thousands of families faced limited access to basic services, livelihoods, and infrastructure due to armed conflict.
In response to questions from journalists, Laerke clarified that there had been a misunderstanding regarding the Colombian government's initial reluctance to receive assistance, which was not the case. A request for humanitarian aid had been made early on. Laerke added that the western part of the country primarily requires assistance.
The highest number of deaths has been reported in Cali and Pereira. However, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the largest gaps in access to health care remain in mid-sized cities, such as Buenaventura and Quibdó, as well as in hard-to-reach rural areas, where the health care system, even before the earthquake, was already facing serious limitations.
Colombia is experiencing a severe and protracted humanitarian crisis
The earthquake struck while Colombia was still experiencing a severe and protracted humanitarian crisis. This crisis is exacerbated by internal armed conflict, frequent climate-related disasters, and the mounting humanitarian needs of substantial refugee and migrant populations. Within this already fragile context, rural, ethnic, refugee, and migrant communities remain disproportionately vulnerable.
Escalating armed violence, severe movement restrictions, repeated climate shocks, and other natural disasters have left millions in urgent need. An estimated 11 million people currently need humanitarian assistance, including those affected by the August earthquake.
Colombia has endured more than half a century of conflict fueled by illegal drug production, trafficking, and territorial control by armed groups. The growing impact of climate-related hazards and the integration of 2.9 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants further heighten humanitarian needs.
Violence among non-state armed groups and recurring natural disasters continue to displace people, exacerbating food insecurity and health risks for vulnerable groups. The fragmentation of these groups and the intensification of conflicts among them have weakened the social fabric of affected communities, undermined security, and limited the state’s ability to protect civilians.
Nearly 10 million Colombians are affected by the presence of non-state armed actors, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), dissident groups from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), 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 country has the highest rate of conflict-related displacement in the Americas. With approximately 7 million internally displaced people (IDPs), Colombia ranks among the three countries with the largest numbers of IDPs worldwide.
According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), the projected number of Colombians in need of humanitarian food assistance is expected to reach between 4 and 5 million by the end of this year as the negative impacts of El Niño increasingly disrupt livelihoods.
Further information
Full text: Colombia: Addendum to the Humanitarian Response Plan - Earthquake, August 2026, report, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), published August 21, 2026 (in Spanish).
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/9d32726b-d1dc-4d61-a341-7c7f70242641/Colombia_Addendum_HNRP%202026_18082026%20ES.pdf