580 indigenous Colombians have fled their lands near the Ecuadorean border to escape fighting between rebel guerrilla group FARC and the Colombian military.
“The road is contaminated with landmines, which is a very complicated problem,” said Cortes.
Allegedly this is the third time this year alone that this particular indigenous community has had to flee their homes due to armed conflict in the area, with a number of families not returning to the community after each displacement, reported El Tiempo.
Internal displacement, particularly of Colombia’s indigenous population, has been an ongoing issue. More than 3.8 million Colombians are currently homeless after having been forcibly displaced by violence, according to the United Nations refugee center.
Local NGO CODHES, that has been monitoring displacement in Colombia since 1985, says there are more than 5 million Colombians, more than 10% of the population, who have been displaced since 1985.