In major cities of Ecuador, the local people are becoming more worried by the day. Colombians are taking over the country, according to many people in Quito and Guayaquil. The Colombians make their way to Ecuador to get away from the guerilla in their own country. 

An estimated 250,000 Colombians have fled to Ecuador to escape the armed conflict at home, making Ecuador the Latin American country with the highest number of people in need of international protection. Yet to date, only 45,000 have registered with the government or with UNHCR, leaving thousands more without legal protection and limited or no access to public services.

UNHCR is conducting a nationwide survey this year to locate these tens of thousands of Colombians and assess their need for assistance and international protection. In the meantime, its efforts to reach out to remote communities along the northern border are already paying off. Many of the northern communities a made up out of Colombians.

The problem does extend to the city, where many of the poor Colombians have settled, but have a hard time finding employment because of their illegal status in Ecuador. A small group has turned themselves to illegal ways of getting an income.

The Ecuadorean government is making an effort to support the UNHCR, but lacks the resources to get all the Colombians through the process of legalisation swiftly, resulting in long lines in front of immigration offices in Quito and Guayaquil.