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31 December 2008
Armed conflict from 1980 to 2000 between government forces and the revolutionary groups Sendero Luminoso and Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru caused the displacement of up to one million people at the height of the conflict in the 1990s. In 2007, the Ministry of Women and Social Development (MIMDES) estimated that 150,000 IDPs had not yet returned or resettled, and were still in urban centres including Ayacucho, Lima, Junín, Ica, and Huánuco.
Eight years after the end of the conflict, there are no data evaluating the situation of this group either independently or in comparison with non-IDPs. However, there are indications that IDPs continue to face obstacles in the enjoyment of their rights, including lack of livelihood opportunities, access to education and health care. Furthermore, IDPs’ right to remedy and reparation, enshrined in the national law on reparations, has still not been realised because of lack of government coordination and a current focus on collective reparations.
A 2004 law for IDPs had both symbolic and practical impact. It kept attention on IDPs’ concerns, mandated the creation of an IDP registry, assigned responsibilities among authorities, and adopted guidelines for preventing future displacement and protecting future victims. The IDP division of MIMDES has since improved the lot of some IDPs, by starting the registration process, and by implementing some livelihoods programmes.
More funds are needed, for reparations, and also for wider livelihoods interventions and development of basic services. Further returns and resettlements are not expected, as incentives such as land would have to be offered to IDPs currently living in urban areas. However, after so many years, it is unlikely that they would want to return to their previous way of life.