-
Colombia's San Juan River region reeling from displacement, blockade, says mission
27 Aug 2004 A team of aid workers and government officials visiting Colombia's Middle San Juan River region has found hundreds of previously-unreported displaced people and witnessed the impact of a blockade on the lives of communities downriver. -
Colombia's Congress calls attention to "grave human rights situation" of Bogota's displaced population
23 Aug 2004 UNHCR recently met with the Colombian Senate and House of Representatives Human Rights Commissions and NGOs to discuss ways to alleviate security problems posed by illegal armed groups to the population in Altos de Cazucá, an area close to Bogota, which is home to tens of thousands of displaced people. -
"Paradise" found as UNHCR starts documentation in northern Colombia
2 Aug 2004 The remote town of El Paraiso has kicked off a campaign by UNHCR and the Colombian National Registry to issue identity documents to some 10,000 indigenous people in the Alta Guajira. This is part of a nationwide effort to offer State protection and assistance to displaced and at-risk communities. -
UNHCR monitors return of indigenous IDPs to north-western Colombia
20 Jul 2004 More than 1,200 internally displaced Embera people have gone back to their homes in recent days despite continued security concerns. UNHCR has asked the Colombian authorities to look out for the safety of these returnees. -
Indigenous youth lose the will to live amid conflict in Colombia
2 Jul 2004 Caught in a cycle of violence and displacement, they feel frustrated, depressed and often suicidal. UNHCR is trying to help them regain their will to live through a project that offers counselling and activities to strengthen indigenous identity and traditional values. -
Hundreds of indigenous Wayúu flee into Venezuela
21 May 2004 The UN refugee agency has registered more than 300 indigenous Wayúu people in north-western Venezuela after they fled armed conflict in Colombia. Aid agencies are working with local authorities to deliver emergency aid to the affected area. -
Reception centre expands to assist more refugees in Ecuador
6 May 2004 The Pro-Refugee Committee reception centre in Quito has expanded its capacity as a place where refugees and asylum seekers can meet, register their refugee claims and receive various kinds of assistance. -
Austrian donation helps dress displaced Colombians
21 Apr 2004 Thousands of internally displaced people in Colombia have received new clothes donated by Austrian lingerie and hosiery maker Palmers AG, and distributed by UNHCR, the government's Social Solidarity Network and Catholic organisation Caritas-Pastoral Social. -
Feature: Resilience of Colombian refugees impresses Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa
15 Apr 2004 Renowned Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa heard stories of dramatic, often tragic, flight by Colombian refugees from their homeland and saw their heroic effort to rebuild their lives at a Panamanian village deep in the Amazonian jungle - setting of his popular masterpiece "La Casa Verde," a portrayal of a murky world of intrigue and violence regarded as one of Latin America's seminal works of fiction.