Friday, September 1, 2000
UNHCR reports hundreds of Colombians fleeing paramilitary violence
1 September -- Some 500 Colombians reportedly fleeing paramilitary attacks in their country have arrived in Venezuela seeking protection, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today.
"Members of the newly arrived group said they fled the Colombian town of La Pista following an attack by paramilitary forces on August 22 that killed at least one man and forced between 1,000 and 1,500 people to flee," spokesman Ron Redmond told correspondents at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. Refugees reported that paramilitary troops pursued them, continuing to fire and lob grenades at them as they crossed the Rio de Oro river towards Venezuela, he said.
After interviewing the Colombians, who are seeking asylum, UNHCR notified the Venezuelan Government of their presence. The agency has offered to provide assistance to the group and participate in the process of determining their status under Venezuelan law. "We are confident that the Venezuelan government will honour its commitment to safeguard the right of asylum and to examine requests for refugee status from these Colombians as well as others fleeing violence in their strife-torn country," Mr. Redmond asserted.
Some 1.1 million Colombians have been displaced by the fighting in their country over the past few years, according to UNHCR.
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