During Advent -patience, faith and prayer

the rice, lentils, beans, milk available every 20 days for a displaced household

Some facts and figures from Colombia: New displacement continues.

Who is Responsible?

·      Illegal armed groups, principally paramilitary groups have become the single greatest cause of internal displacement.

·      Human rights violations by government forces, including systematic extra-judicial executions.

·      Aerial fumigations of illegal crops also destroys other crops and provokes displacement due to food insecurity. (US Plan Colombia)

Threats are used to intimidate the civilian population and maintain the domination

of illegal groups over certain areas, and also as a tool to drive small farmers from

land to develop legal and illegal crops.

Displacement figures 

380,000 people were newly displaced in 2008, bringing the total number of IDPs

to over 4.6 million. In 2008 the number of people newly displaced was 24 per cent higher than in 2007. The rate of displacement per 100,000 inhabitants increased from 713 in 2007 to 888 in 2008

Patterns of displacement

Individual displacement continues to be the dominant pattern of displacement  (89%) Only 11% of new IDPs included were displaced in mass incidents in 2008. There were 82

mass displacements in 19 Colombian departments,

92% of the displaced population have been originally displaced from rural areas, and

only 8% from small and mid- size towns. Of those displaced from rural

areas, 93% fled to an urban area and only 7% to a rural area This pattern is contributing to rapid urbanization throughout the country.

Profile of the displaced population

Displacement’s impact on indigenous people and Afro-Colombians is particularly intense. About 13,500 indigenous people were displaced in 2008, Currently, between 17 and 23 per cent of the displaced population is Afro-Colombian For both groups, the rates of displacement have increased steadily over time.

Women comprise 48% of IDPs; 63% of the displaced population are under 25 years of age.

Roughly half had land before they were displaced, and 94% of those families were

forced to abandon that land. Likewise, about half had livestock and 92% of them lost it.

Up to 22,000,000 acres of land (9% of national territory) has been left behind by the

displaced population. Land and livestock left behind have generally been appropriated by the agents of displacement.