Colombia: Internally displaced: Dispossessed and exiled in their own land, "Just what do we have to do to stay alive?"

Colombia: Internally displaced: Dispossessed and exiled in their own land, "Just what do we have to do to stay alive?"

Index Number: AMR 23/048/1997
Date Published: 30 September 1997
Categories: Americas, Colombia

Hundreds of thousands of Colombians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety in recent years. The causes behind this forced displacement are varied: counter-insurgency operations, guerrilla reprisals, land conflict and economic interests. The army-backed paramilitaries in particular have a deliberate strategy of "cleansing" the civilian population from areas of guerrilla influence, committing gross human rights violations with impunity. A lack of international protection and assistance leaves the internally displaced particularly vulnerable to further abuses. This report, which forms part of Amnesty International's refugee campaign, documents this policy of forcible displacement, its perpetrators, and the thousands of victims, mainly peasant farmers, indigenous peoples, women and children. It concludes with recommended actions to the Colombian government, armed opposition groups and the international community.