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UNHCR concerned about hundreds displaced near
VenezuelaColombia border
EL CRUCE, Venezuela, April 1 (UNHCR) The UN refugee
agency has requested the government of Venezuela to facilitate
a humanitarian assessment mission to the northwest following
reports that hundreds of people were displaced by armed
clashes near the border with Colombia.
Over the last
two weeks, there have been reports of armed clashes between
Colombian guerrilla and paramilitaries in the border zone with
Venezuela. These irregular armed groups also reportedly
clashed with the Venezuelan army. Last weekend, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez declared that he had ordered a bombing
raid against suspected Colombian irregular forces inside
Venezuelan territory.
Some 200 persons, including more
than 90 children, fled the remote Rio de Oro area of
northwestern Venezuela when Colombian paramilitaries entered
the zone, according to local authorities, human rights
nongovernmental agencies and media sources.
UNHCR
staff spoke to Colombian and Venezuelan subsistence farmers in
the town of El Cruce who said they had escaped from the
violence. They confirmed that a number of families had walked
from Rio de Oro and were hiding in the surrounding areas.
The refugee agency has also received unconfirmed
reports that some 600 persons, including indigenous Bari
people, had fled into the mountainous area near Rio de Oro.
"The worsening of the conflict in Colombia is
aggravating a very complex security situation at the border,"
said Maria Virginia Trimarco, UNHCR's Regional Representative
based in Caracas, Venezuela. "In order to be more effective,
we need the practical application of the refugee law in
Venezuela and the support of the authorities to facilitate an
assessment mission to reach this population faster."
UNHCR has requested the Venezuelan authorities to
provide all the necessary security guarantees for humanitarian
staff to undertake an assessment mission to the area as soon
as possible. The refugee agency and its partners are ready to
assist the local authorities in attending to the displaced
population's immediate needs for protection and humanitarian
assistance.
The recent events signal a worrying
escalation of the Colombian conflict and underscore the
growing humanitarian impact on the countries neighbouring
Colombia. UNHCR has urged all combatants to respect the rights
of the civilian population. It has also appealed to all
governments in the region to continue to abide by their
international obligations and ensure the right to asylum.
Story date: 1 April 2003 UNHCR News Stories
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