Colombia

11 November 2024

Heavy rains in Colombia have led to widespread flooding in recent weeks, affecting over 230,000 people by 11 November 2024 and forcing the Government to declare a national state of disaster. The hardest-hit areas include Chocó department in the west, where riverine flooding has restricted mobility and isolated towns, and La Guajira department in the north, where heavy rains have blocked main roads and destroyed Indigenous communities' crops. People in both departments require humanitarian aid to access food and healthcare services. (CNN 10/11/2024, France 24 11/11/2024, El Colombiano 10/11/2024)

20 May 2024

2023 recorded 58,469 people displaced and 100,402 people confined in Colombia, a 14% decrease and 43% increase, respectively, compared to 2022. Clashes between non-state armed groups and insecurity were the primary causes behind both. Departments such as Cauca, Chocó, and Valle del Cauca, in western Colombia were the regions most affected. Those currently displaced and confined require access to food, WASH services, shelter, and ways to return to their homes and daily lives. (UNHCR 20/05/2024, IDMC accessed 21/05/2024)

04 March 2024

Despite a slight improvement in violence indicators, Colombia continues to grapple with humanitarian challenges. In January 2024, 12,600 individuals experienced displacement or forced confinement, primarily in the west. Of these, 8,600 were confined (69%) and 3,900 displaced (31%). Chocó witnessed the highest confinement rates, with up to 35,000 affected individuals in 2023. In Caquetá, 36,000 individuals faced mobility restrictions because of an armed strike earlier in 2024. Confrontations among armed groups and with state forces remain the primary cause of displacement and confinement. The affected populations, particularly those confined, urgently require access to food and protection from violence. (OCHA 01/03/2024, Radio Nacional 15/02/2024)

05 February 2024

In the northern Colombian department of La Guajira, 77% of rural households do not have access to clean drinking water and WASH services, putting them at a higher risk of contracting waterborne diseases and diarrhoea. In 2024, 260,000 people are estimated to require food assistance in the department, with 46% (120,000) coming from indigenous communities. These groups require humanitarian assistance in accessing food, drinking water, and WASH services. (OPS et al. 05/02/2024; FSC/Nutrition Cluster 03/01/2024)

29 January 2024

According to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management of Colombia, wildfires, floods, displacement, and water shortages affected over 100,000 people in January 2024. The disaster unit attributed the natural hazards to the warmer temperatures generated by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Affected people require access to healthcare services (in response to the heat-related health emergencies resulting from warmer temperatures), fresh drinking water, and shelter. (UNGRD 29/01/2024, ERCC accessed 01/02/2024, El Colombiano 26/01/2024)

17 January 2024

At least 520,000 migrants and refugees entered the Darien Gap in Colombia and crossed to Panama in 2023, the highest number to date. Most of them crossed in August (81,946) and September (75,268). One-fourth (113,180) were minors, a high percentage of whom were under five years old and many of whom were unaccompanied. More than half of the total came from Venezuela (328,650), followed by Ecuador (57,250), Haití (46, 422), and China (25,565). To 90% of these migrants and refugees, the start and end points for crossing the Darien Gap were the town of Acandí in northeastern Colombia and the towns of Bajo Chiquito and Lajas Blancas in southern Panama. Their main needs in 2023 were access to WASH services, protection, education, food, and health assistance. (UNICEF 11/01/2024, MSF 1/09/2023, Govt. Panama 16/01/2024)

06 December 2023

In early November 2023, flooding affected more than 12,000 people in northern and central Colombia. The town of Maicao in La Guajira department near the northern border with Venezuela recorded the highest number of people affected (4,852). The affected population requires immediate assistance in the form of food, shelter, and clothing. (OCHA 05/11/2023, LGH 06/11/2023)