Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 4 April 2025

KEY FIGURES

• 10K people face severe mobility restrictions in Bolívar, Colombia due to NSAGs
• 113K people have lost income and access to safe water due to oil spill in Ecuador
• 5.9K people displaced due to armed clashes on 31 March in Saut d’Eau & Mirebalais, Haiti

ECUADOR: OIL SPILL

Government-led response efforts continue in Ecuador’s Esmeraldas province, where the 13 March oil spill has severely impacted water access, health, and livelihoods across numerous parishes in the cantons of Esmeraldas, Quinindé, Rioverde, and Atacames. Authorities have delivered more than 2,400 cash transfers to affected families, and water service is partially restored in urban areas, though rural communities remain reliant on tanker deliveries. An estimated 113,000 people have lost income and have limited access to safe drinking water, however figures are under review as water testing and field visits continue. The UNDAC and Joint Environment Unit teams are concluding their assessment mission and will present initial findings next week. Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian Red Cross is distributing clean water, hygiene kits, and providing medical care in coordination with local and international partners. OCHA is supporting local actors to strengthen coordination and information management, and identify communities that have not yet been reached.

COLOMBIA: ARMED CONFLICT

Around 10,000 people in the municipalities of Santa Rosa del Sur and Montecristo, Bolívar, are facing severe mobility restrictions due to the presence and control of two non-state armed groups (NSAGs). One group is restricting food deliveries into the region, while the other has responded by threatening transport companies and civilians, ordering a cease of operations and preventing movement or reporting. Additionally, clashes reported on 1 April in the municipality of Cantagallo, also in Bolívar, have further heightened tensions and potentially led to the confinement of the population. It is likely that these clashes have resulted in significant mobility restrictions and access concerns, creating urgent humanitarian needs.

HAITI: ARMED VIOLENCE & DISPLACEMENT

On 31 March, armed clashes in the communes of Saut d’Eau and Mirebalais, northeast of Port-au-Prince, forced the displacement of 5,981 people. Of these, the majority (83 per cent) sought refuge with host communities, while 17 per cent are now residing in 14 newly established sites. According to media reports, armed groups overtook a prison, releasing more than 530 inmates. In response to the rapidly escalating crisis, thousands of Haitians took to the streets of Port-au-Prince on 2 April to demonstrate against surging violence and demand government action. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is urging national authorities and the international community to secure accountability and end the violence, particularly by stopping the illicit flow of arms into the country.

REGIONAL: YELLOW FEVER

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued an epidemiological alert following a sharp increase in yellow fever cases across the Americas in early 2025. As of 22 March, 131 cases and 53 deaths have been confirmed — more than double the total cases recorded in all of 2024. Outbreaks have been recorded in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, including in areas not historically affected, such as Tolima, Colombia, raising concerns of wider transmission. In São Paulo, Brazil, the epidemiological situation is particularly worrying given the proximity to densely populated urban centres. Most affected individuals were not vaccinated. PAHO is urging countries to intensify vaccination campaigns, review vaccine stockpiles, and strengthen outbreak response plans. Since 1960, yellow fever has caused nearly 10,000 cases and over 3,400 deaths in the region.