The ICRC in Colombia

An ICRC team travels by canoe up the river Ispí to visit the municipality of Roberto Payan (Nariño). The ICRC helps the resident population affected by the conflict through agricultural and basic sanitation projects.

Colombia is the largest ICRC operation in the Americas. The ICRC's work in Colombia involves protecting civilians, helping displaced persons and conflict-affected communities, visiting detainees, promoting international humanitarian law, helping people affected by weapons contamination and cooperating with the Colombian Red Cross and other Movement components active in Colombia.

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Highlights

Reference documents

Facts and Figures

In the first half of 2012, the ICRC:

facilitated the release of 11 civilians, including a French journalist, and 11 members of the armed forces who were being held by armed groups;
provided assistance to more than 11,500 displaced persons;
set up and supported four mobile health units that treated more than 16,000 people in conflict zones;
documented 249 cases of alleged violations of international humanitarian law and other fundamental rules;
individually monitored the conditions of detention of 831 conflict-related detainees in the course of 32 visits to 28 State detention facilities;
carried out 71 activities to promote safe behaviour and raise awareness of the rights of victims of weapon contamination, in which some 2,600 people participated.

The ICRC has 358 staff members in Colombia, including 63 expatriate staff.

In images More images

Publications More publications

Humanitarian action in Colombia: activity report 2011

This report presents ICRC's work in Colombia in 2011, illustrating the benefit that the ICRC's activities bring to the victims of armed conflict in the country.
Colombia 2009 report

This report presents the ICRC's work in Colombia in 2009, illustrating the benefit that the ICRC's activities bring to the victims of armed conflict in the country