Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
  • About us
  • Support us
  • Contact Us
  • Intelligence
  • Advertising
  • Newsletter
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
News

FARC, military combat displace 580 indigenous Colombians

by Caitlin Trent October 3, 2012

colombia news-displaced tumaco

580 indigenous Colombians have fled their lands near the Ecuadorean border to escape fighting between rebel guerrilla group FARC and the Colombian military.

108 families, 77 of which were indigenous Awa people, were allegedly displaced from the remote jungle village of Chinguirito in the western Nariño department. Terra news reported that most of the internally displaced people sought refuge from the violence in the Pacific port city and municipality of Tumaco “whose furthest point is far more than seven hours” from their homes in Chinguirito.

According to W Radio, Francisco Javier Cortes, the secretary general of the Indigenous People’s Unit of Awa (Unipa), said in a phone interview that “the mass exodus resulted in a series of battles between soldiers and rebels that flared up on September 27.”

The Secretary General of Unipa went on to say that returning to their homes would be exceptionally dangerous due to unexploded landmines which tend to remain even after fighting has ended.

“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.

displacementFARCindigenous issuesNariño

Trending

  • Tensions in Colombia over lost COVID-19 vaccine shots

  • Colombia’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign shows first cracks

  • Coronavirus crisis bankrupted 500K of Colombia’s small businesses

Weekly interviews and news updates

Related articles

  • Colombia’s government ordered to curb mass killing of former FARC fighters

  • 11 killed in eruption of narco violence in southwest Colombia

  • Native Colombia in mourning over loss of leader to COVID-19

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • RSS

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top