Colombia Protection Analysis Update - Norte de Santander

Norte de Santander is a department located in a border region with Venezuela, where the dispute between non-state armed groups (NSAGs), mainly in the Catatumbo subregion, continues to pose protection risks for communities due to the persistence of the internal armed conflict. Currently, these situations challenge the state's ability to ensure the protection of the population's rights, a situation exacerbated by numerous restrictions on humanitarian access faced by local and international organizations implementing protection activities in the territory.

The protection risks requiring immediate attention in the period covered by this analysis are:

1. Selective homicides, kidnappings, threats, and attacks.
2. Forced displacement and confinement.
3. Presence of Anti-Personnel Mines (APM), Unexploded Ordnance (UXO), and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).
4. Gender-based Violence (GBV) including sexual violence and exploitation.
5. Forced recruitment and association of children and adolescents.