Weekly Humanitarian Situation Report | N°31
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
COLOMBIA weekly humanitarian situation report | N°31 050 100 200 300 400 [ Km. Riohacha Barranquilla Nariño Cartagena Fundacion El Copey Antioquia La Paz Minefield victim El Carmen de Bolivar (1 military dead) Astrea Purisima Galeras Tame Teorama Arauca Morales Indigenous Medio Atrato Cucuta Chocó woman killed Mass displacement Anori (625 people) Barrancabermeja Remedios Los Santos BelloAlejandria Tame Sipí AnzaMedellin Ocamonte Medio AtratoBetulia BolivarEl Penon Chocó Mass displacement Samana (226 people) Pensilvania El Aguila Pereira IstminaSipi Salento Litoral del San Juan Bogota Cumaribo Litoral del Tulua San Juan Buenaventura Cali Chocó Aipe Mass displacement Caldono Vistahermosa PiendamoSilvia La Victoria Popayan Santa Barbara de Iscuand Valle del Cauca Trade union Cumbitara Calamar Barbacoas leader killed Legend Milan 1 Dot = 1 Cartagena del Chaira Homicide Iscuandé Cartago Road block Nariño Valle del Cauca Trade union Attack against civilians Mass displacement (95 families) leader killed Attack against infrastructure Armed confrontations Kidnapping Mass dislacement Mine/UXO Victim 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. weekly humanitarian situation report | N°31 Situation and events Events per department Three mass displacements in Chocó department Antioquia 15 Valle del Cauca 13 Chocó 8 Two mass displacements in the San Juan Cauca, Nariño, Santander 5 region and one in the Atrato raise deep Bogotá, Bolívar 4 concerns on the humanitarian situation in Caldas, Cesar 3 Chocó department Arauca, Caquetá, Norte de Santander 2 La Guajira, Magdalena 1 According to preliminary information provided by local Sucre, Vichada, Huila 1 authorities belonging to the Integral Peasant Meta, Quindío, Risaralda, 1 Association of the Atrato River (COCOMACIA), on Atlántico, Córdoba, Guaviare, 1 November 7 nearly 120 families (600 people) from the rural area of Tanguí (Medio Atrato municipality) have 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 been displaced towards the city of Quibdó. According to the same source, the displacement was caused by Events the kidnapping of an old woman of the community (the third in last two months). So far, COCOMACIA has provided the first humanitarian assistance (food). Armed confrontations 33 IDPs are receiving shelters among the host Homcides 23 community and Association’s facility. However, Threats 8 according to COCOMACIA the provision of non-food items remains the most important unattended need. Homcide of protected persons 5 Mass displacements 4 On November 8, OCHA field office in Quibdó was Attack against infrastructure 4 informed on the displacement of 226 people (43 Ambush 2 families) coming from rural Sipí and directed to the Kidnapping 1 urban area of the neighbor municipality of Istmina. This is the fourth displacement since the beginning of Minefield victim 1 2007 (see issue # 11). According to preliminary Road block 1 information, the displacement was due to continuous 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 threats against civil population conducted by an illegal armed group, allegedly self-defense. IDPs are now temporally settled in relatives’ houses and a census is undergoing to ensure the provision of humanitarian Armed confrontations assistance. In the same area, civilian population has been targeted by illegal armed groups. Furthermore, there have been denounces about serious restrictions in population’s mobility and food and medicines Army - Police - supplying since early October. Undetermined Undetermined 3% 3% OCHA field office in Quibdó was also informed about a new mass displacement of an undetermined Army - ELN number of people in the municipality of Litoral del San 6% Juan (the second in the year, see issue # 12). Displacement was caused by threats contained in a Army - "New communiqué warning about the imminent taking of the emerging band" rural area of Charambirá by FARC. According to 20% preliminary information IDPs would have displaced Army - FARC towards Buenaventura; however, their arrival has not 68% been reported in this city. UN agencies operating in the area and the Ombudsman’s Office, will undertake a fact finding mission in the coming days. DATA HEREWITH PRESENTED WAS COLLECTED FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES BY OCHA NOVEMBER 1 - 11 1 weekly humanitarian situation report | N°31 Mass displacement in Iscuandé, Nariño The local Ombudsman’s office of Iscuandé in the Pacific coast of Nariño, informed that on November 6 nearly 95 families displaced from a rural area towards the municipal capital fleeing from the military operations that are taking place since October 29. According to the local authorities, more people are expected to arrive in the forthcoming days. Nearly 177 people (28 families) are receiving shelter in the school facility whereas the rest of the population is staying at relatives’ houses. 900 additional people are reported to be at risk in the rural area. Acción Social, ICBF, the local government and the Ombudsman’s Office are assisting the population that arrived into Iscuandé with food and non-food items. ICRC is undertaking the population census and coordinating the delivery of food aid. UNHCR and OCHA are assessing the situation in order to complement the humanitarian response, if required. Follow-up: Awa mass-displacement in Tumaco (Inda Sabaleta) So far, nearly 200 IDPs of the Awa community, mostly children which present cases of chronic malnutrition, remain in the school facility in Inda Sabaleta location. According to the information provided by the IASC group in Nariño, the health situation of IDPs remains concerning due to poor sanitation conditions in the temporary shelter and delay in the registration process. These are the main results of a need assessment conducted in the area testing a new methodology produced by global IASC: “IRA” Follow-up: mass-displacement in Cocorná, Antioquia IDPs daily visit their lands and are expecting to return soon. The 133 IDPs continue in the urban area waiting for proper security conditions to return. According to recent information, IDPs had already restarted productive activities in their lands during the day and return to the urban area to spend the night. Political overview President Chávez sustained a meeting with FARC delegates Venezuela’s leader met with “Iván Márquez” a FARC delegate from the organisation’s secretariat on November 8. He manifested to have some proposals in place to be presented to FARC, which also fall under what he and President Uribe have discussed. Chávez recalled Colombia’s government conditions: “FARC demand a temporary demilitarisation of two towns, Pradera and Florida; the government says no, there won’t be any demilitarisation. That (condition) is non-negotiable”. He also referred to the second condition, which refers to releasing FARC combatants only if they demobilise; while FARC claims they should go back to barracks. A third point of the meeting refers to request of a meeting between President Chávez and Manuel Marulanda. Therefore, while acknowledging intrinsic difficulties, Chávez pointed out his willingness to help in coming closer to the “humanitarian agreement”. Proof of life Chávez also said that FARC’s commander, alias Manuel Marulanda, had ordered to deliver proof of life of Ingrid Betancourt and several other hostages, which could be viewed as a positive gesture toward the humanitarian negotiation. This information was sent to Chávez through a letter from FARC. “Although the order was given, the situation in Colombia has to be considered: guerrilla fronts; an intensifying war”, -said Chávez-. Mediation President Chávez recalled there is a French emissary in Caracas on behalf of Sarkozy in order to arrange an appointment between the two presidents on November 2, after the encounter with FARC emissary. One month ago, Chávez also welcomed Daniel Parfait, Director for the Americas and the Caribbean of France’s Foreign Ministry and former ambassador in Colombia. The encounter contributed in aligning both countries’ interest in playing a mediating role toward a humanitarian negotiation with FARC in Colombia. Background Since the collapse of peace talks with FARC in 2002, a humanitarian negotiation is on the table to seek the release of 52 hostages for a lot of 500 imprisoned combatants. 11 of the 52 hostages were the recently murdered ex-deputies from Valle del Cauca. One month prior to this event, the Colombian Government unilaterally released nearly 200 members of this guerrilla who entered a reintegration process. Among them was alias Rodrigo Granda, known as FARC’s chancellor and spokesperson of that guerrilla’s international affairs. His release was authorised at the request of France’s president Sarkozy, actively involved in mediation offices aiming to bring back former presidential candidate -also citizen of France- Ingrid Betancourt. Sarkozy is supportive of Chávez’s good offices, which formally began by the end of September when he requested a meeting with president Uribe in Bogotá. After his NOVEMBER 1 - 11 2 weekly humanitarian situation report | N°31 visit to Bogotá early in October, Venezuela’s president and Colombian senator Piedad Córdoba had arranged a meeting with FARC commanders. Although it did not take place on account