The United Nations High Commission for Refugees ( UNHCR) on Tuesday appealed for over 14 million U.S. dollars to fund its work in 2007 to help hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the armed conflict in Colombia.

The money is needed for the UNHCR to protect and assist some 350,000 people in Colombia, UNHCR spokesman William Splindler told reporters in Geneva.

According to the UNHCR, Colombia's internal conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 people since 1990, most of them civilians.

Meanwhile, over 3 million Colombians have been forced out of their homes by violence, with last year alone witnessing more than 170,000 people displaced from homes.

"It is likely that the displaced population will continue to increase in 2007, with indigenous people and Afro-Colombian groups under the biggest threat," said Philippe Lavanchy, the UNHCR director for the Americas.

The UNHCR's overall objective in Colombia is to promote a collaborative and comprehensive response to what has been described as one of the world's most serious humanitarian crises, the agency said.

Source: Xinhua