Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 30 January 2026

KEY FIGURES

• 29K+ people in Guatemala assisted by NRC from 2022 until its 2026 closure
• 416 humanitarian access restrictions recorded in Colombia in 2025
• 64K hectares burned by ongoing wildfires in south-central Chile

GUATEMALA: DISPLACEMENT

Funding shortfalls have forced the Norwegian Refugee Council to close operations in Guatemala, cutting access to protection, education, legal assistance, and livelihoods support amid sustained displacement. Since opening in 2022, NRC assisted more than 29,000 people affected by violence and forced mobility, including internally displaced families, migrants, deportees, and children out of school. Its programmes also supported local organisations delivering shelter, mental health care, and services for survivors of gender-based violence. Organised crime, poverty, food insecurity, and recurrent floods and landslides have displaced an estimated 1.2 million people nationwide, while protection needs persist despite declining northbound movements.

PERU: FLOOD RISK

On 15 January, Peru’s Multisectoral Committee for the National Study of El Niño raised the national alert for a Coastal El Niño, citing a growing likelihood of weak warm conditions along the coast from April through at least October. The Committee identified March as a high-risk transition period and warned that even a weak event can cause significant impacts. Rising sea surface temperatures along northern Peru and Ecuador increase the risk of above-normal rainfall, flooding, landslides, and dengue. Authorities expect mostly normal river flows but note elevated flash flood risk in coastal valleys and upland zones. Past Coastal El Niño events in 2017 and 2023 caused widespread damage, and reconstruction remains incomplete in several exposed cities.

COLOMBIA: HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

Between January and December 2025, Colombia recorded 416 humanitarian access restrictions, a 13 per cent increase from 2024. These included 375 barriers and 120 documented incidents, affecting an estimated 1.6 million people across 25 provinces. Cauca, Chocó, Norte de Santander, Valle del Cauca, and Bolívar reported the highest shares of events. Trends largely mirrored the first half of the year, except in Bolívar, where armed curfews in July and December drove an increase. Restrictions affected 202 municipalities, an 85 per cent rise from 2024, with the most severe impacts in Buenaventura, Tibú, Santa Rosa del Sur, and Tierralta. More than half of incidents restricted civilian access to services and assistance, while threats, violence, and ongoing hostilities limited humanitarian operations.

CHILE: WILDFIRES

Extreme heat and strong winds continue to drive wildfires across south-central Chile, with active fires in Biobío, Ñuble, and La Araucanía. As of 23 January, authorities reported 21 deaths, more than 20,000 people affected, over 50,000 evacuated, and at least 2,300 homes destroyed. Fires have burned more than 64,000 hectares nationwide and disrupted health facilities, schools, and water services. International partners have deployed firefighting brigades from Mexico and Uruguay, provided equipment from the United States, and committed US$250,000 from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. Private sector networks support damage assessments and early recovery. The Government maintains a state of catastrophe. The UN activated its emergency response group to support national efforts.