1,800 Colombians flee to
Ecuador amid violence at
home
Some 1,800 Colombians
have rushed into Ecuador
to escape violent
clashes between the
Colombian army and
rebels, Ecuador's
Foreign Minister Maria
Fernanda Espinosa said
Monday.
The Colombians, who
began arriving in
Ecuador Thursday, have
been given shelter in
San Lorenzo, a town in
the Ecuadorian province
of Esmeraldas bordering
Colombia.
However, the refugees
are straining Ecuador's
resources and have
triggered a crisis in
San Lorenzo, said
Espinosa. The situation
has caused a national
security problem in
Ecuador, she added.
She said Ecuador is now
calling for
international help and
will hold talks to get
the refugees back home.
The United Nations' High
Commission for Refugees
said it had created four
new shelters, using
schools, a local theater
and church, raising the
number of shelters to
10.
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