Colombia: 170,000 civilians into confinement  between 2025 to date

The ongoing armed conflict has forced over 170,000 civilians into confinement in Colombia from January 2025 to date. 

Norwegian Refugee Council said the development is a strategy used by non-state armed groups to exert control, particularly in rural areas. Whoever controls the population also controls the territory. 

In response to this crisis, international humanitarian organisations are urging both the Colombian authorities and international observers to maintain their focus on these populations. The protection of their rights and their very survival depend on urgent humanitarian response. 

For the vast majority of Colombia’s 50 million inhabitants, rural territories remain out of reach in certain regions as a consequence of the armed conflict. Across these areas, tens of thousands are forced into confinement within their own homes, unable to exercise their right to freedom of movement for weeks on end as a calculated strategy by non-state armed groups.  

A significant percentage of those affected are from Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. The risks of gender-based violence and forced recruitment are especially acute for women and children during confinements.  

“Colombia currently has the third largest number of internally displaced people globally. Equally alarming is the scale of those forced to survive and endure illness behind closed doors, in dire need of humanitarian aid,” said Boris Aristín, manager of the Emergency Response Consortium MIRE+, representing a strategic alliance of international humanitarian organisations.  

“This is not normal, nor should it be. The international community should continue to call to all non-state armed groups in Colombia to respect the freedom of movement of civilians.” 

People’s right to move freely has become a privilege granted by non-state armed actors who have influence over the population. This is particularly evident in western Colombia.  

“Every step beyond the community is their decision,” explains a Pacific coast resident, referring to the armed groups. This forced confinement has effectively turned rural areas into forbidden zones, leading to the resident’s grim conclusion: “Most Colombians cannot approach this area. Millions do not know that we suffer in silence.” 

Life under confinement is a struggle against deprivation. Most rural communities have no water supply, and electricity is a rare luxury that flickers on for just a few hours a day. Pain must be endured without medicine, with no hope of accessing a doctor or emergency care. Children face the risk of forced recruitment by armed actors. Farming is impossible as people are confined to their homes and the rivers— the only transport routes for many—are prohibited by no state armed actors. Anyone who chooses to brave their rules puts their life at risk.  

“Fear of conflict is shaping the nation into isolated pockets where the right to move does no longer exist,” said Aristín. “In areas where the state is absent or barred by violence, international humanitarian actors are essential to delivering food, water, protection, shelter, education, health and sexual and reproductive health services to those in need. But this relief is entirely dependent on global humanitarian funding. If this generosity continues to falter, the armed conflict will once again engulf these communities, and their silent suffering will inevitably lead to the loss of lives.”