ReliefWeb

This Emergency Appeal revision seeks a total of 2,500,414 Swiss francs to enable the IFRC to support the Colombian Red Cross Society (CRCS) to deliver assistance and support to 120,000 people for 12 months, with a focus on the following areas of focus and strategies of implementation: shelter; livelihoods and basic needs; health; water, sanitation and hygiene; protection, gender and inclusion; and migration actions. The planned response reflects the current situation and information available at this time of the evolving operation, and it will be adjusted based on further developments and more detailed assessments. Details are available in the Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA)

The situation and the Red Cross Red Crescent response to date

July 2017: The migratory flow increases significantly across the Colombia – Venezuela border. 236,295 Swiss francs from the DREF fund are allocated for the CRCS response.

October 2017: The volume of the migratory flow continues and the operation is extended to six months. Coverage and resources are increased to 297,157 Swiss francs. Through these sources and other resources, the CRCS reached 231,836 people in 2017.

February 2018: The President of Colombia expresses his willingness to receive international support to respond to the migratory situation. The Government’s Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) requests complementary support from the CRCS in this regard.

March 2018: The IFRC launches an Emergency Appeal for 2.2 million Swiss francs to assist 120,000 people for 12 months.

April 2018: The IFRC issues revised Emergency Appeal seeking 2.5 million Swiss Francs to assist 120,000 people (including an increased budget to expand coverage of Protection and Migration activities)

The operational strategy

Context

The Colombia-Venezuela border has been experiencing a constant mixed migratory flow of people since mid-2017, who use Colombia as a transit zone, temporary shelter or a supply point. The considerable number of people in transit has become a regional issue3, as it is now affecting Colombia’s border crossings with Ecuador and Brazil and expanding to countries to the south such as Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

According to official figures, 796,000 migrants entered Colombia through official migration points in 2017, of whom 53 per cent entered via the Simón Bolívar International Bridge in Cúcuta (Norte de Santander department), 19 per cent via Paraguachón (La Guajira department) and 17 per cent via El Dorado International Airport in Bogota; the remaining 11 per cent entered via other immigration control posts in Guajira, Norte de Santander, Arauca and Vichada (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2018). According to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) figures (2017), the immigration posts that receive the highest volume of migrants (49 percent female and 51 percent male), are Cúcuta (48 per cent), Villa del Rosario (24.6 per cent), Paraguachón (24 per cent), Puerto Santander (1.6 per cent) and Arauca (1.2 per cent).

According to Colombian immigration figures from December 2017, an average of 37,000 people from Venezuela entered and 35,000 people left. It is estimated that between 2,000 and 10,000 people circulate daily in Colombia either in transit and/or with the intention to stay. As of December 2017, the migrant departure’ report for the border post at Nariño (Rumichaca International Bridge) indicated that were 231,000 departures, a 600 per cent increase in relation to 2016.

There are no official figures on the number of people entering Colombian territory through informal border crossings, which represents a growing concern for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other protection agencies. In addition, the intensification of immigration controls and measures could lead to an increase in informal crossings. These crossings pose risks to migrants due to the presence and circulation of armed groups, such as the National Liberation Army (ELN for its acronym in Spanish), the Popular Liberation Army (EPL for its acronym in Spanish) and others, who are fighting for control over drug trafficking and smuggling routes. UNOCHA has identified 130 roads in La Guajira, 74 in Norte de Santander and 44 in Arauca as critical informal border crossings (Colombian Information management and Analysis Unit [UMAIC for its acronym in Spanish]-UNOCHA, 2017).