Some 2,000 indigenous people flee threats and violence in Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia, March 17 (UNHCR) - In the latest incident of displacement of Colombia's indigenous people, some 2,000 Embera people have fled their homes in the coastal department of Chocó as a result of threats and conflict between two illegal armed groups.

More than 1,000 Embera have been displaced this month from their collective territories this month in Chocó's Upper Baudó region in north-west Colombia. A census of 897 of them was taken last week in the town of Catrú, while another 114 have sought protection in the town of Nuncido in recent days.

They fled from 15 communities after some 200 members of an illegal armed group entered their territory in the first week of March, threatened the Embera and tried to force them to collaborate in attacks against a rival illegal force.

In the Lower Baudó, nine communities of some 1,000 Embera are now empty due to fighting between the same two illegal armed groups. A total of 86 people arrived in the town of Pizarro, and the situation of the rest of them remains unknown.

In the Middle Baudó, 35 Embera from the community of Indicina on the Ancozó River are now displaced in the town of Puerto Meluk, fleeing from what they say are various illegal armed groups operating in their territory.

There has been a swift humanitarian response from national authorities and international organizations to the displaced in the Upper Baudó, where the Embera in Catrú are receiving food, shelter, basic medical support, water and psycho-social assistance. In the Middle and Lower Baudó, local authorities have provided basic assistance to the displaced and national authorities are starting to assess needs.

UNHCR is concerned, however, about the protection of these communities. There were three mass displacements in the Upper Baudó, two in the Middle Baudó and five in the Lower Baudó last year. There are credible reports of abuses that must be investigated, including the murder of an indigenous woman and the rape of another two in the community of La Vaca in the Lower Baudó.

Indigenous people throughout the region are under constant pressure from illegal armed groups and are facing increasing restrictions on their ability to hunt or fish in their traditional homelands. One of the illegal armed groups in the Upper Baudó imposed an economic blockade along the Catrú and Dubasa Rivers.

At least 27 different indigenous groups are considered to be at risk of extinction in Colombia, largely as a result of armed conflict and forced displacement. Their survival depends greatly on being able to remain on their traditional lands. Unfortunately, many have been driven from those lands and have been dispersed throughout the country, sometimes in distant urban centres.

UNHCR, which has offices throughout Colombia, has various programmes aimed at protecting indigenous people, including regular monitoring and advocacy on behalf of those facing threats and mass displacement; support for indigenous organizations aimed at maintaining unity among displaced communities; rights training; and support to national and local authorities responsible for protecting and assisting indigenous people.

By Gustavo Valdivieso in Bogota, Colombia