• Text size Normal size text | Increase text size by 10% | Increase text size by 20% | Increase text size by 30%
  • Also available in French

Forced displacement devastating Colombia's indigenous people

Briefing Notes, 8 August 2008

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 8 August 2008, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

On the eve of tomorrow's (Saturday) International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, UNHCR is drawing attention to the plight of indigenous groups at risk of violence and forced displacement in Colombia.

There are around a million indigenous people in Colombia, belonging to more than 80 different Indian-American groups with over 60 separate languages. Nearly all of these groups have been victims of forced displacement or are threatened by it as a result of the internal armed conflict. According to Colombia's national indigenous association, ONIC, 18 of the smaller groups are at risk of disappearing altogether.

Every year, an average of between 10,000 and 20,000 indigenous people are registered by national authorities after being forced to flee from their lands. ONIC estimates the numbers could be far greater, since many indigenous people do not have access to registration – either because of the remoteness of their lands or because they do not speak Spanish and are not familiar with the national registration system.

The figures give only a partial glimpse of the devastating impact forced displacement is having on Colombia's indigenous communities, whose economic, social and cultural survival depends on their very strong links with their ancestral land. In many cases, losing their territory and moving into the entirely foreign environment of the cities threatens the very survival of the group and its individual members.

But while forced displacement often is a tragedy, it is also a fundamental right. UNHCR is very concerned about the fate of several indigenous communities living in situations of confinement or semi-confinement. This has been the case this year with the Awá community in the Nariño region in the south, the Nukak and Guyabero Indians in the Guaviare region, and of several groups in the Pacific region of Chocó.

UNHCR supports indigenous communities in high-risk areas of Colombia and assists them in rebuilding their lives when they are forcibly displaced. Our intervention ranges from "protection by presence" in conflict zones to documentation campaigns as well as education and health projects. In all cases, we work in a collaborative approach that seeks to increase the participation of the community and in coordination with our partners and the Colombian government.

UNHCR also assists indigenous refugees in neighbouring countries such as Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil, under a regional strategy to better address the specific needs of indigenous people during exile.

• DONATE NOW • • GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

 

Related stories by:

UNHCR country pages

Indigenous people in Colombia

There are about a million indigenous people in Colombia. They belong to 80 different groups and make up one of the world's most diverse indigenous heritages. But the internal armed conflict is taking its toll on them.

Like many Colombians, indigenous people often have no choice but to flee their lands to escape violence. Forced displacement is especially tragic for them because they have extremely strong links to their ancestral lands. Often their economic, social and cultural survival depends on keeping these links alive.

According to Colombia's national indigenous association ONIC, 18 of the smaller groups are at risk of disappearing. UNHCR is working with them to support their struggle to stay on their territories or to rebuild their lives when they are forced to flee.

UNHCR also assists indigenous refugees in neighbouring countries like Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil. UNHCR is developing a regional strategy to better address the specific needs of indigenous people during exile.

Indigenous people in Colombia

Colombia: Life in the Barrios

After more than forty years of internal armed conflict, Colombia has one of the largest populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world. Well over two million people have been forced to flee their homes; many of them have left remote rural areas to take refuge in the relative safety of the cities.

Displaced families often end up living in slum areas on the outskirts of the big cities, where they lack even the most basic services. Just outside Bogota, tens of thousands of displaced people live in the shantytowns of Altos de Cazuca and Altos de Florida, with little access to health, education or decent housing. Security is a problem too, with irregular armed groups and gangs controlling the shantytowns, often targeting young people.

UNHCR is working with the authorities in ten locations across Colombia to ensure that the rights of internally displaced people are fully respected – including the rights to basic services, health and education, as well as security.

Colombia: Life in the Barrios

Panama's Hidden Refugees

Colombia's armed conflict has forced millions of people to flee their homes, including hundreds of thousands who have sought refuge in other countries in the region.

Along the border with Colombia, Panama's Darien region is a thick and inhospitable jungle accessible only by boat. Yet many Colombians have taken refuge here after fleeing the irregular armed groups who control large parts of jungle territory on the other side of the border.

Many of the families sheltering in the Darien are from Colombia's ethnic minorities – indigenous or Afro-Colombians – who have been particularly badly hit by the conflict and forcibly displaced in large numbers. In recent years, there has also been an increase in the numbers of Colombians arriving in the capital, Panama City.

There are an estimated 12,500 Colombians of concern to UNHCR in Panama, but many prefer not to make themselves known to authorities and remain in hiding. This "hidden population" is one of the biggest challenges facing UNHCR not only in Panama but also in Ecuador and Venezuela.

Panama's Hidden Refugees

Philippines: Landless in MindanaoPlay video

Philippines: Landless in Mindanao

Displaced by fighting, one indigenous community in the Philippines didn't want food or shelter -- only training to stand up for their rights.
Colombia: Indigenous People Under ThreatPlay video

Colombia: Indigenous People Under Threat

Violence in parts of Colombia is threatening the existence of the country's indigenous people. This is the tale of one such group, the Tule.
Colombia: Giving women strengthPlay video

Colombia: Giving women strength

In the volatile southern Colombian region of Putumayo, forced displacement remains a real and daily threat. Indigenous women are especially vulnerable. A project by UNHCR focuses on helping women to adapt and learn about their rights while they are displaced.