Colombia: internal displacement still on the rise

The number of people internally displaced in Colombia in 2004 increased by 38.5% on the previous year, according to a recent report by a Colombian NGO. CODHES states that just over 287,000 people were displaced in 2004, compared with some 207,000 in 2003. Refuting these figures, the Colombian government insists that internal displacement decreased by 37% in 2004. Church authorities have supported CODHES, pointing to a substantial increase in inter-urban displacement (which is unaccounted for in official statistics) as well as the increasing military strategy of blockading and confining communities.

Ahead of a meeting in February 2005 to discuss the implementation by the Colombian government of UN human rights recommendations, Amnesty International stressed that “the human rights and humanitarian crises in Colombia remain critical with civilians targeted by all sides in the conflict – soldiers, army-backed paramilitaries and the guerrillas”. Amnesty reiterated that it will not support any demobilisation process in Colombia that does not take full account of victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparation. It also recommended that the international community support the creation of a mechanism to monitor compliance with human rights recommendations.

For more information see www.codhes.org.co , www.amnestyusa.org/countries/colombia  and the Global IDP Project’s Colombia  Report www.idpproject.org

IDPs overlooked in Nepal

Since 1996 Maoist guerillas have been fighting to overthrow Nepal’s monarchy. Rebels stepped up attacks after King Gyanendra took absolute power in. Human rights groups have warned that the lifting of the state of emergency in early May is unlikely to reverse the country’s already deteriorating human rights situation. Professor Walter Kälin, the UN Secretary-General’s Representative on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) visited Nepal in April 2005 together with Dennis McNamara, Director of the UN’s Internal Displacement Division. Their mission resulted in agreement to establish a monitoring operation to help establish accountability for rights abuses and prevent further violations.

Kälin noted that there is a widespread pattern of conflict-induced displacement and that the numbers of IDPs are far greater than the 8,000 cited by the Nepalese government. A large majority of IDPs have not been registered by the authorities because of a restrictive registration process, a general fear of IDPs to declare themselves and the movement of many conflict-induced displaced persons across the border into India. Professor Kälin found that the main causes of population displacement are acts of violence or threats against the population, practices of forced recruitment and extortion by the Maoist armed group, fear of reprisals by the Royal Nepal Army for allegedly providing food or shelter to Maoists (even when this was provided under duress) and a general climate of insecurity.

Emergency assistance has reached only a very small number of IDPs. Kälin stated that there has been no coherent assistance and protection response, either from the government or from national or international organizations. Kälin welcomed reports that the government is to develop a new IDP policy and urged them to respect international humanitarian law, condemn vigilante groups which have been set up by some state officials and train civil and military authorities on the rights of IDPs. He called on the Maoists to respect the distinction between combatants and non-combatants in the Geneva Conventions and to make a public commitment to adhere to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which is also addressed to non-state actors.

See www.brook.edu/fp/projects/idp/20050422_nepal_mission.htm