Colombia

17 February 2025

Since January 2025, people living in Chocó department, western Colombia, have been facing increasing insecurity owing to non-state armed group activity. These include attacks on civilians, clashes among armed groups, and movement restrictions and confinements. Since the beginning of February, fighting between armed groups in southern Chocó has displaced around 5,000 individuals. In mid-February, the armed group National Liberation Army (ELN) announced an armed strike in the department, ordering the population to remain indoors. The strike has been affecting around 430,000 people. Coupled with the increasing insecurity, the armed strike is hampering people's access to services and assistance. Communities urgently need food, health services, and protection. (OCHA accessed 19/02/2025, Caracol Radio 18/02/2025, El Colombiano 17/02/2025)

20 January 2025

Since mid-January 2025, the Catatumbo region in Norte de Santander, Colombia, has been experiencing intensified violence. Two non-state armed groups – the National Liberation Army and dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – have been engaged in conflict, leading to the displacement of over 18,700 people and the confinement of 1,260 individuals. Among those affected are Indigenous communities, Venezuelan refugees, and local communities. Thousands have sought refuge in shelters in Cúcuta, Ocaña, and Tibú, while others fled across the border to Venezuela.

Armed group activity, mobility restrictions, and targeted attacks have disrupted basic services, electricity, and access to healthcare. Humanitarian needs remain acute, including food, shelter, water, and healthcare. This violence reflects a broader deterioration across Colombia, with multiple frontlines escalating simultaneously, increasing protection risks for peace accord signatories and community leaders.

(OCHA 20/01/2025, ECHO 22/01/2025, CNN 20/01/2025)

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)