Explosive Device Victims in Colombia Increase by 43% in H1 2022

Between January and June 2022, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) registered 377 victims of explosive devices in Colombia, a figure that represents an increase of 43 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

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"The humanitarian consequences of the six armed conflicts and the violence that exist in the country continued to intensify in a worrying manner," said Lorenzo Caraffi, the head of the ICRC delegation in Colombia.

The civilian population continues to suffer the worst effects, with more than half of the victims being civilians. In the first half of the year, 77 percent of the reported victims were affected by thrown explosive devices and controlled detonation.

Sixty-seven percent of the cases occurred in the departments most affected by explosive device accidents: Cauca, Antioquia, Arauca, Norte de Santander and Meta.

In that same period, 61 new cases of disappeared persons due to armed violence were registered. "This information shows that the disappearance is not an event from the past but a reality associated with the violence that is still present," the Red Cross said.

Forced displacement had a considerable impact in 12 Colombian departments, where 29,729 people were displaced and 41,074 people had to flee their homes, mainly due to direct threats from armed actors. The Nariño department concentrated 43 percent of the displaced people.

At least 19,210 people were confined due to the upsurge in armed actions and the presence of explosive devices in the territories. Fifty-seven percent of the confined population is concentrated in the Choco region.