Humanitarian problems related to Colombia’s armed conflict have not significantly improved since 2011, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Friday.
The international humanitarian organization did so while presenting their 2012 report.
The head of the ICRC in Colombia, Jordi Raich, said that issues such as threats, disappearances and displacement are ongoing and that resolving the 50 year conflict would be tough.
He also raised concerns that a peace agreement between the government and rebel group FARC could cause other criminal organisations to gain influence.
The Red Cross published in its report figures relating to cases that they had experienced personally.
In 2012 for example, the official figures show 7500 disappearances for the year, 4300 of whom have not been found. The Red Cross themselves documented 161 new cases of disappearances, of which 53 occurred during 2012 and the rest had happened previously but were only reported last year.
The Red Cross said it had facilitated the release of 36 captured people and also assisted in the transfer of 24 FARC members from Colombia to Havana, where they wanted to join ongoing peace talks with the government.
The humanitarian organization claimed displacement in Colombia is ongoing. Over the past 16 years the Red Cross has helped 1.3 million displacement victims, the organization said, adding that since 1997, 3.9 million people have been registered as displaced.
Thirty-three minors, who were lured into joining illegal armed groups, were aided by the Red Cross and 25 of them were reunited with their families.
The organization registered 189 attacks on civilian property by armed groups, 77 of which were cases of damage or destruction, 85 cases of occupation and 27 cases of robbery.
Raich said the Red Cross continues to be so successful in aiding those affected by the conflict due to its unlimited access to regions where the government are not present due to violence. They also are in direct contact with guerrillas, which has allowed them to facilitate the release of 1500 captured people in Colombia in their history.
Raich was clear that a peace agreement would not mean the end of humanitarian aid from the Red Cross in Colombia.
