Colombia: New paramilitary groups cause mass displacement in Córdoba
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 26 August 2011 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Colombia: New paramilitary groups cause mass displacement in Córdoba, 26 August 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e5791ed2.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
New paramilitary groups in the department of Córdoba in Urabá Region have caused increasing violence and displacement. On 10 August, members of "Los Urabeños" and "Los Paisas" kidnapped and killed seven men in the rural locality of Pailas in what was the fifth massacre in 2011 in Córdoba. Up to 1,200 people fled settlements in the area in fear of further killings. They found refuge in the municipal capital of Tierralta, roughly half through their own networks and the rest from the authorities.
The town improvised a shelter in a school, which was reportedly overcrowded, and subsequently sought other arrangements with the support of Acción Social, the national agency for internal displacement, the ICRC and IOM. OCHA reported that by last weekend, roughly half of the internally displaced families had returned to their homes.
