UN refugee agency says hundreds of people displaced in western Colombia this month

UN refugee agency says hundreds of people displaced in western Colombia this month

2011-03-18 00:40:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations refugee agency on Thursday said that hundreds of people have been displaced due to violent struggles over control of illegal mining in western Colombia this month.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) informed that at least 800 Afro-Colombians have fled their homes along the western Colombia's Anchicayá River and sought shelter in the port city of Buenaventura.

The UN agency said that people are fleeing their homes due to the growth of illegal mining and the violent struggle between illegal armed groups to control this activity in the area which is rich in mineral resources, including gold.

As of last Friday, Buenaventura authorities said that 789 displaced people from 215 families have arrived to the port city. Among the refugees there were 370 children and 46 elder people.

On Monday, 62 more families left their homes at the village of Llano Bajo and arrived to Buenaventura. UNHCR staff will visit the region in the coming days to gather first-hand information and assess the situation. Government officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will join the visit as well.

Violence escalated on February 28 when a public transportation bus was stopped by an illegal armed group. A man from the village of Agua Clara was shot dead by the gunmen.

On March 7, two bodies were located floating in the Anchicayá River. A group of 200 members of the Embera indigenous group in Colombia's Choco department were forced to flee their homes on the banks of the Pavasa River due to the activities of another illegal armed group.

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