Humanitarian Situation Report | HSR No. 13 May 22 - 28 Colombia 2007

050 100 200 300 400 [ Km.

Barrancas

La Paz Tenerife

Curumani El Tarra Anzoategui Tolima Cucuta Illegal chekpoint

Sabana de Torres Remedios

Montebello AbejorralSonson

Aguazul Santa Rosa de Cabal Anzoategui Mani Roldanillo

Cunday El Castillo Buenos Aires Padilla Cauca Buenos Aires Vistahermosa 1 teacher murdered

Tumaco

Tumaco San Jose de la Fragu

Ipiales Valle del Gamuez Valle del Gamuez Putumayo Mass displacement Attack against infrastructure of 36 families. 2 Armed Confrontations. Mass displacement

Illegal chekpoint

Homicide of protected person Armed Confrontation 1

2

Departmental boundary

Information can be shared by humanitarian community directly involved in the crisis response though the Humanitarian Situation Room, www.colombiassh.org Organisations can post their contact details though the Who What Where information channel, as well as any other pertinent information at the site by submitting to: [email protected] Updated information on IASC Colombia can be found at www.colombiassh.org/iasc. humanitarian situation report COLOMBIA #13 MAY 22 – 28

I. humanitarian situation

events threatening civilian lives armed confrontations

Antioquia 4 Cauca 3 Cesar 3 Data not avaliable Tolima 3 Casanare 2 8% Magdalena 2 Meta 2 Nari–o 2 Army Vs. Other Putumayo 2 groups Santander 2 Caquet‡ 1 21% N. de Santander 1 Risaralda 1 Army Vs. FARC Valle del Cauca 1 50% 01234 event type cases Armed confrontations 24 Attacks against infrastructure 2 Homicide of protected person 1 Army Vs. ELN Illegal checkpoint 1 21% Mass displacement 1 Total 29

All data collected by OCHA Colombia for the period under review was gathered from official sources

1. mass displacement in PUTUMAYO

Preliminary information from WFP indicates nearly 36 peasant families fled from their homes to the urban areas of Valle del Guamuez municipality due to alleged threats against the community. The same source reports there could be 150 more families still unable to leave due to blockades.

2. imminent risk of mass displacement in NARIÑO

The Local Committee for IDPs Integral Assistance in Tumaco issued an alert of imminent displacement to activate land protection mechanisms of indigenous and afro-Colombian communities in Tumaco municipality. The measure is to prevent threats of illegal land occupation and unauthorised transactions of collective land titles that could cause a mass displacement of these communities.

3. land occupation in SANTANDER

25 displaced families members of a IDPs’ Association in Barrancabermeja municipality occupied an abandoned land located in the way between that town and Bucaramanga; the departmental capital of Santander. These families claim land distribution rights of IDPs settled in Barrancabermeja. The local government declared that occupied lands are unsuitable for housing and currently tries to evict the population.

4. indigenous communities’ protest in CHOCÓ

The Embera, Wounaan, Katío, Chamí and Tule indigenous communities Indigenous of Chocó department occupied the highway between Quibdó municipality and Medellín in protest for the non-fulfilment of the agreements formerly conveyed with the National Government. The OREWA Indigenous Association made public a press release asking for support from the Catholic Church, the UN, the Ombudsman’s Office and other humanitarian actors, to accompany a new negotiation process with the departmental and national 1 humanitarian situation report COLOMBIA #13 MAY 22 – 28

governments. Indigenous communities await a national commission to review the agreements through which a similar protest was settled back in April with the National Government.

5. follow-up on the situation in NARIÑO, ANTIOQUIA and VALLE DEL CAUCA

a. The week after the displacement of 120 people in the town of Cumbitara, NARIÑO, affected persons received food aid delivered by the local government and basic health services provided by a medical evaluation mission deployed from the local hospital. Sanitation and shelter conditions are critical due to the lack of infrastructure for IDPs temporary accommodation. A joint mission was expected to visit the area in the last days, according to information from the Nariño departmental Government. UNHCR reports that out of the 120, 53 are adults, 43 children, and there are 8 babies.

b. After 2 months since the emergency, 170 IDP families in the urban area of La Tola municipality, NARIÑO, are returning to their homes according to Acción Social. The return of the population was possible after a series of agreements accomplished by the Local Committee for IDPs Integral Assistance of La Tola that included health and education services' improvement, the development of programmes for food security and the continuing of emergency food aid. However, it is noteworthy to recall that on April 23 the Early Warning System of the Ombudsman's Office released the 10th risk report for the municipalities of Iscuadé, El Charco, La Tola and Olaya Herrera in Nariño, provided the serious risk situation of communities due to the continuing armed confrontations between illegal armed groups and the Army throughout the year.

c. After two weeks of road blockades issued by FARC causing food shortages in the municipalities of Nariño and Argelia in ANTIOQUIA, on April the 25th the 25th local transport companies resumed their operations. The Army is escorting buses until the situation returns to normality.

d. Intra-urban displacements continue in Buenaventura, VALLE DEL CAUCA, on account of armed confrontations and clashes between illegal armed actors. In view of these events, local authorities arranged a "Jornada de Solidaridad con Buenaventura" (May 31st) and a public audience to denounce the humanitarian crisis and the human rights situation (June 1st).

II. update on IASC activities

a. Last week (May 22nd) the Protection Thematic Group met State and government civil and military authorities to further analyse the recent mass displacements in the towns of El Charco and La Tola, Nariño. As a result, the Protection Thematic Group was appointed to provide assistance to Acción Social and other key institutions in elaborating contingency plans for future similar displacement events. Jointly, parties to this meeting will seek support from donors to strengthen the Community Defenders Programme of the Ombudsman Office. Furthermore, OCHA offered to update a map of actors in the affected areas of Nariño and to continue to facilitate follow-up and monitoring of recommendations and action plans derived from the group’s mission to Nariño. To this end, already a follow-up matrix is in place and a series of maps and background documentation available to members of the Protection Thematic Group.

b. On May 23rd the Inter-thematic Group gave technical green light to a couple of documents: i) ToRs for the regional coordination mechanisms and ii) grouped gaps found in the Country Needs Assessment. The latter organises 152 gaps by sector and type (i.e. advocacy, coordination, information, planning/preparedness, resources, policy and strategy, and project/programme). Participants view this document as an instrument to facilitate planning processes among Thematic Groups at national and local levels. The Inter-thematic Group also discussed on the relationship between IASC and Government, State and civil society institution/representatives. OCHA was appointed to draft a preliminary paper outlining the basis for an articulation mechanism in light of the interest to work with these key counterparts.

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