ReliefWeb

Migration flow through Colombia has been steadily increasing over the past few years. At the moment, there are more than 1.1 million people in need in the country, including both migrants and Colombian communities returning to the country. The Colombia-Venezuela border has been experiencing a constant mixed migratory flow of people since 2017, who use Colombia as a transit zone, temporary shelter or a supply point. According to UNHCR figures, most migrants are concentrated in the departments of Norte de Santander and La Guajira. Meanwhile, departments such as Arauca, Cesar, Boyacá, Vichada and Guinía also face challenges, albeit with fewer vulnerable people. Araucafaces additional constraints, such as the historical presence of armed groups and lack of access to essential services.

The department of Nariño in the Colombia-Ecuador border has also been affected by the ongoing migration phenomenon, as it serves as transition point for many families who try to make their way to Ecuador on the road to other destinations. Meanwhile, departments in the area of Cundinamarca and Valle host an increasing number of families seeking a more permanent presence, which requires strategic support to provide improved livelihoods options that help strengthen local markets; consequently,, the considerable number of people in transit has become a regional issue, affecting also crossing points with Brazil and expanding to southern countries such as Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

All groups of people in need face different types and levels of vulnerability, which mainly includes access to essential services such as basic health care and sanitation infrastructure. Other groups see their livelihoods diminished or destroyed and require external support to restart them. Almost all migrants at some point require access to food and clean water and in some cases, special supplements for children at risk or suffering from malnutrition.

The effect of this crisis is broad, complex and not restricted to issues of nationality. Many groups face exceptional situations of vulnerability, such as the Wayuu, Yukpa and Barí indigenous groups, whose ancestral lands cross current national borders. This population is facing rapid changes in their ways of life, including new and complex border procedures added to historical stigma and discrimination. All current projections from United Nations (UN) agencies and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) present in the country estimate that population movements into and within Colombia will continue to rise in the coming months.