More Colombians arriving in Ecuador due to violence

SAN LORENZO, Ecuador, April 12 (UNHCR) – Senor Padilla, his wife and two of their children escaped to the small Ecuadorean port of San Lorenzo in late February, joining the growing number of people fleeing fresh violence in nearby Colombia.

“We came because two paramilitary factions and one guerrilla group were wreaking havoc in the area where we lived. They are killing a lot of the local people,” Padilla told UNHCR. Growing numbers of people have been arriving in northern Ecuador’s Esmeraldas province this year and asking for asylum. Like Padilla, they cite increased violence across the border. “>Read Article