Colombia
Around two million people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of Colombia’s ongoing conflict. In fact the number of new Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Colombia continues to rise and the country now has one of the world’s largest number of IDPs.
Cocorna village, Colombia, August 2004. Registering displaced persons eligible for ICRC aid programme.
© ICRC / Boris Heger
Landmines (anti-personnel mines) also continue to pose a growing threat to the safety of people in Colombia, a fact which is said to be at least partly attributable to the number of new people who are fleeing their homes. Over half the civilian victims are children.
This is according to the latest report from Juan-Pedro Schaerer, former Head of Delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who has also identified attacks on medical personnel and facilities in rural areas, and access to people held by armed groups, particularly those held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) as the main problems which the ICRC is trying to resolve.
Recently, Colombia has also been hit by severe flooding destroyed or seriously damaged thousands of homes (15,000 approx) and claimed the lives of 126 people. The Colombian Red Cross, supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is helping 5,000 families.
|
Population |
44.2 million |
|
Population living below poverty line |
49.2% |
|
Life expectancy |
68 years |
|
Literacy |
92% |
Sources: International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, ReliefWeb, International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Wikipedia, Reuters
