A human rights group in Colombia says that a quarter-of-a-million citizens have been forced to flee their homes so far this year because of the upsurge in political violence.

The figure is equivalent to a quarter of the total number of refugees reported in Colombia in the last decade, according to the independent Consultancy on Human Rights and Forced Displacement.

The group's executive director, Jorge Rojas, said the conflict between the armed forces, left-wing rebels and far-right paramilitary groups was intensifying and was contributing to what he called a human rights crisis.