Where the road begins...

COLOMBIA: A SHORT INTRODUCTION

The 45-year old conflict in Colombia is extremely complex and its roots go back in history. Several political, economic and social causes continues to be the cause of a protracted humanitarian crisis that weighs heavily on civilians. Continued armed confrontations between the National Army and insurgents groups like FARC and ELN, and rearmed holdouts of paramilitary groups known as the 'new armed bands' continue to pose massive hazards to vulnerable communities, particularly indigenous people and afro-descendants. Struggles for territorial control have so far displaced about 4 millions people over the last 20 years. Colombia has the highest rate of new victims worldwide caused by the armed conflict as well as the second highest concentration of landmines in the world. Breaches of human rights and international humanitarian law are part of everyday life in some parts of Colombia. While forced recruitment of young adults and kidnapping continues, an unknown number of communities trapped by minefields and crossfire are often inaccessible, resulting in shortages of food and medicines.

The Government of Colombia is effectively the major provider of humanitarian assistance. However, the current administration do not acknowledge the existence of an internal armed conflict or humanitarian crisis. The crisis is not visible because the official discourse has deliberately opted to refer it as a ''terrorist threat' or as a ''situation of violence''. This is very significant for the purpose of attracting foreign economic investments and in creating a sense of stability. On the other hand, the humanitarian crisis is constantly overshadowed by the emergence of illegal economies such as narcotraffic that normally attracts the attention of both national and international media. The current military offensive on the ground seems to be very much part of the government political and economic agenda other than humanitarian.

Like all nation-states, it is the Colombian authorities that are eventually responsible for the protection and security of its own people. The UN and other international humanitarian organisations simply complement this process of humanitarian assistance.

This brief introduction is meant to give a general overview of the main, national context. However, it is not so black and white, especially at regional and local level.

There is more to follow, so stay tuned...

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