Photo Credit: Refugees International
04/24/2004

The deterioration of the armed conflict in Colombia, most notably in the Departments of Putumayo and Nariño, is leading a significant number of Colombians to seek asylum in Ecuador. Ecuador is host to the largest officially recognized Colombian refugee population in the region. Between 2000 and 2003, 21,722 asylum seekers, 99 percent of whom are Colombian, applied for refugee status and 6,644 applications were approved. The recent weakening of the economy, as well as insecurity in the porous border regions, has placed a heavy strain on Ecuador’s generosity in accepting Colombian asylum seekers. Ecuador is in the process of reforming its refugee law, and there is concern that the country may decrease its kindness towards Colombian asylum seekers. Donor governments, in particular the United States, should support the government’s efforts to protect and assist asylum seekers.