Presenting the Humanitarian Challenges 2022 report, Lorenzo Caraffi, head of the ICRC delegation to that country, stressed that 2021 was a difficult year for civilians, who were facing the worst consequences of armed conflict and violence.
He explained that last year the ICRC documented 884 alleged violations of international humanitarian law and other regulations.
Homicides, threats, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, use of indiscriminate explosive devices, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, association of children and youth with armed actors and sexual violence accounted for 59 percent of these.
In 2021, the ICRC registered 486 victims of explosive devices, the highest number in the last five years, and the accidents occurred in 14 departments, with Norte de Santander, Cauca, Chocó, Antioquia and Arauca being the hardest hit.
Likewise, according to official figures, 52,880 people were mass displaced in 11 departments last year, a 148 percent increase from 2020, he added.
Similarly, almost 80,000 people were affected by the individual displacement, who chose to leave their homes for fear that something might happen and force the entire community to leave, or that they were forced to do so because of direct threats from the armed actors received, he said.
The lockdown affected 45,108 people in six departments across the country, a 60 percent increase from 2020.
“In 2021, the population affected by lockdowns, mass displacement and explosive devices has increased significantly, reaching the highest level in the last five years,” said the head of the ICRC delegation.
The ICRC documented on average one new enforced disappearance every two days in connection with armed conflict and violence.
On the other hand, he explained that last year the National Medical Mission Board recorded 553 attacks on health workers, health care facilities and vehicles, the highest number reported in the last 25 years, although many events went unreported for fear of those affected.
In another segment, the ICRC stated that it was involved in the release of 27 people held by armed groups as part of humanitarian operations.
It also participated in the vaccination process against Covid19 in remote areas with access difficulties due to armed conflict.
He stressed that in 2021, 543,000 people benefited from the ICRC’s humanitarian work, which continues to demonstrate its commitment to people suffering the ravages of war.
He stressed that the humanitarian situation in Colombia continued to deteriorate in the first months of this year and that the panorama of 2022 could be even more complex than 2021.
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