Contacts: Andrea Lari and Jake Kurtzer
Aggressive Colombian army offensives in the department of Nariño against both guerrilla forces and reorganized narco-paramilitary groups have led to increased displacement in rural areas between villages and along the River Patía. The river, a major artery linking the Andes with the Pacific, has been the site of much recent fighting as new illegal armed groups struggle to control transit and communication routes for coca production. Furthermore, the FARC and ELN have escalated their violence, involving the extensive use of improvised landmines to control terrain and terrorize communities. There were 27 massive displacements in 2007 and almost 95,000 displaced registered in the department as of April 30, 2008. The under-registration and rejection rates for the internally displaced in Nariño remain very high.
Sanchez
The community of internally displaced people living in Sanchez arrived on May 8, having fled their homes due to Colombian army operation against New Generation, a reorganized narco-paramilitary group. More than 250 families fled to Sanchez from five different villages along the river, including 59 families from Cocal, the first ever displacement from that village. Most people were only given enough time to flee with their personal documents, and had no other possessions. Many of the individuals who fled to Sanchez have taken up residence in previously vacated homes, but are unable to pay for electricity.
On May 12 the displaced in Sanchez received a one-time emergency visit and food rations from the ICRC, but when Refugees International interviewed the group in June, the second food shipment had not arrived yet. Only 50 families remained in Sanchez, as the majority was threatened by the paramilitaries to return to their villages. They remain in fear of additional retaliations, mainly because neither the army nor the police have established a permanent presence there.
El Ejido
Located between Policarpa and Sanchez, the town of El Ejido hosts approximately 90 internally displaced families. Many of the individuals in El Ejido were originally displaced during fighting between the FARC and paramilitaries in 2006, and have recently been displaced again. Residents cited recent Army offensives as causing displacement, particularly the use of drone airplanes, which fire indiscriminately from the sky, often hitting civilian homes. Intensive fumigations aimed at coca fields have often affected the legal crops of these communities, jeopardizing their food security. The displaced in El Ejido report that they have received no assistance from Acción Social. They have occupied vacant houses in town and have not received any subsidies.
At the time of Refugees International’s visit, it remained unclear if the group had been included in the official registry and would be able to access basic social services. While housing and education are perceived by the displaced to be their primary unmet needs, support for economic activities and livelihood projects is also a high priority. One displaced man told RI, "We’ve seen that President Uribe can fight the guerillas and the coca, but if he ignores the needs of the campesinos, his plan won’t work. We don’t want handouts, we want work."
