A. Situation Analysis
Description of Disaster
On 19 August 2015, the Venezuelan government declared a state of constitutional emergency initially in five municipalities in Tachira state and later extended this to an additional 23 municipalities in the states of Zulia and Apure. These Venezuelan states border the Colombian departments of La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Arauca, and Vichada. As of the writing of this report, border crossings between Colombia and Venezuela remained partially closed, limiting access to Venezuelans and Colombians with documentation supporting their residency. Furthermore, the Colombian government, via Decree 1770 of 7 September 2015, declared a state of economic, social, and ecological emergency in parts of Colombia, which continue in effect.
According UNOCHA Situation Report No. 13 (15 October 2015), a total of 1,950 Colombian citizens were deported and 22,342 additional Colombian citizens voluntarily left Venezuela beginning on 23 August 2015. Until 15 October, at least 24,292 people left Venezuela. The following table details the number of people who returned or were deported to Colombia based on the receiving Colombian departments:
The affected population was assisted by the Colombian government and humanitarian organizations. There are no longer any collective centres in the area. Moreover, the families that received rent subsidies for three months returned to their cities of origin or were staying with relatives or friends in Cucuta or Villa del Rosario. Furthermore, some Colombian families were living legally near the Venezuelan border; many of these families had elderly members with conditions such as chronic kidney failure, diabetes, and hypertension, among others, who received medical attention from Colombian health care providers and required medications or support to relocate. Commercial and transit activities had been fully restored, but the political situation between the two countries over this issue remains sensitive. The possibility of border tensions escalating again in the future cannot be ruled out.
The Colombian Red Cross Society (CRCS) conducted actions at the border area to restore decent living conditions to the affected families. These actions were developed jointly with all humanitarian and human rights agencies present in the country and led by UNGRD.