01 Oct 2017 | 12:49 PM UTC
Colombia: Increase in mass displacements in 2017
Nearly 10,000 people displaced in Colombia in 2017; majority from drug-related violence in former FARC territory
Event
Humanitarian organizations operating in Colombia have reported that the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) has increased in 2017 despite the end of the protracted conflict between the central government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). A report by the Human Rights and Displacement Consultancy (CODHES) found that there were 61 mass displacements in the first eight months of 2017, affecting nearly 10,000 people. The majority of affected areas were formerly under FARC control, now contested by violent groups involved in drug trafficking.
Context
Numerous armed groups are active in the country. Paramilitary crime organizations (BACRIM) have replaced leftist guerrilla groups such as the now-demobilized FARC as the most serious armed threat; these groups are involved in a variety of illicit activities, including drug-trafficking, smuggling, illegal mining, extortion, and assassinations. Additionally, local gangs continue to pose a threat to individual communities nationwide.
Advice
Due to the presence of a number of armed groups - including organized crime groups, drug cartels, right-wing militias, local gangs, and the ELN - some Western governments advise against travel to various parts of the country, including much or all of Norte de Santander and Arauca.
