The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

The international community must act to protect Colombian indigenous peoples from violence and killings

Of 102 indigenous peoples, 66 are at imminent risk of extinction. August 9 marked the International Day of Indigenous Peoples. However, the situation of indigenous peoples in Colombia does not leave much to celebrate.

According to the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC), between 2009 and 2012, 438 indigenous people were killed and more than were 22,000 forcibly displaced. Between January and July 2013, 23 were killed and 1,506 displaced. The ONIC reports that 66 indigenous people are about to disappear, some with populations of less than 500 inhabitants, 18 with less than 200 and 10 made up less than 100 individuals. The ONIC also reports that indigenous peoples are “victims of a genocide that is forcing cultural and physical extermination”. The organisation also notes that “the situation of violence and destruction is intensified through killings, enforced disappearances, forced displacement, forced recruitment, sexual violence, threats and other crimes, affecting the 102 indigenous peoples in Colombia both collectively and individually, and causing them serious harm”. Only 2% of the Colombian population is indigenous, yet they account for 7% of internally displaced persons (CODHES). According to UNDP figures, 70% of Colombian indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition, and 63% of the indigenous population lives below the poverty line. This is despite the wealth of natural resources in indigenous territories.

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