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Renaissance of former Colombian ghost town threatened by new violence
20 Feb 2007 Two years ago, San Miguel was a ghost town. Located on the banks of the San Juan River in Colombia's Pacific rainforest, it is slowly coming back to life. But its renaissance could be shortlived - like dozens of other riverside settlements it is again threatened by fighting between rival groups. -
Colombian refugees sail for 20 hours on high seas to reach Ecuador
7 Feb 2007 Most Colombians refugees flee their country by land or air, but one group of 37 people was so desperate to escape from the violence that they braved the high seas in a small fishing boat to reach safety in Ecuador. -
Colombia launches campaign for the rights of displaced people
6 Feb 2007 More than 130 Colombian organisations have joined forces with the authorities to launch the 2007 Campaign for the Rights of Displaced People, which aims to focus attention on Colombia's three million people displaced by armed conflict. -
Q&A: UNHCR faces up to the challenges in Colombia
26 Jan 2007 Roberto Meier has been UNHCR's Representative in Colombia since 2004. In a recent interview in Geneva, the Argentinian said he sees light at the end of the tunnel for a country with one of the largest internally displaced populations in the world. -
UNHCR pledges to rebuild women's centre destroyed in northern Colombia
23 Jan 2007 The UN refugee agency pledged Tuesday to fund the reconstruction of a centre for displaced women and children that went up in flames at the weekend in the Colombian city of Cartagena. The League of Displaced Women claims its building was destroyed by arson. -
UNHCR to open two new field offices to help displaced in Colombia
19 Jan 2007 The UN refugee agency is opening two more field offices in Colombia to help cope with the humanitarian crisis facing some three million people displaced by violence in the South American country. -
Argentina offers care and support to refugee women victims of violence
4 Jan 2007 Argentina has stepped up its response to deal with women exposed to emotional, physical and sexual abuse. In recent years, several women have been given refugee status after fleeing this kind of violence in their own countries. A new refugee law also ensures psychological care for refugee women who are victims of violence. -
Micro-credit scheme helps Colombian refugees rebuild lives in Venezuela
3 Jan 2007 Some 200,000 Colombians have fled across the border to Venezuela to escape violence or persecution. Many of them stay in the border areas where they face the challenge of earning a living in a new country. To help them, UNHCR has introduced a micro-credit scheme designed to kick-start small businesses. -
Life on the run among Colombia's displaced
1 Jan 2007 Marlene Sanchez, a victim of the ongoing strife in Colombia, knows what it's like to be displaced and on the run. Although her previous experience of running brought only bad memories, Sanchez recently took part in a 3.5-km "Race for Life" to draw attention to the plight of her country's displaced.