COLOMBIA – United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the humanitarian situation in Colombia continues to deteriorate amid armed violence, severe movement restrictions and repeated climate shocks.
With up to a 70 percent chance of above-normal rainfall in April, the risk of new emergencies is rising. Last year, disasters affected one million people, destroyed more than 3,000 homes, displaced over 20,000 people and left more than 330,000 people in need of aid.
In response to recent flooding in Córdoba, in Colombia’s north, the UN and humanitarian partners are coordinating with authorities on the government-led response. Food, cash and hygiene supplies, among other items, have been distributed to people in the most affected areas.
Last year, more than 1.6 million people were impacted by violence – three times more than the previous year – including more than 150,000 people whose movements were restricted and nearly 100,000 people who were displaced, the highest levels recorded since OCHA’s monitoring began in 2008.
Also, last year, humanitarian operations were increasingly hindered, with more than 400 such incidents affecting over 1.6 million people.
This year, partners are calling for $287 million to reach 1.2 million of the people most in need.