Colombia: Armed Groups Batter Border Region; Poor Government Protection Exposes Civilians to Abuse.

[mee@reddthat.com]

• Armed groups fighting over parts of the Catatumbo region near the Colombia-Venezuela border have committed grave abuses and displaced thousands.
• The groups have killed, assaulted, kidnapped, and disappeared civilians. Fighting and abuses by both sides have reportedly forced over 56,000 people to flee their homes, one of the largest mass displacements in Colombia in decades.
• The government should design and implement an effective, rights-respecting security and justice policy to protect residents from armed groups. Donor governments should provide needed aid.