Colombia records cases of Covid-19 in shelters for Venezuelan refugees

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Hundreds of Venezuelans are arriving in Colombia every day, worsening a humanitarian crisis that has forced national, provincial, and local authorities to join international organizations – such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – to coordinate efforts.

“We are already starting to see a new crisis, which we knew could happen. We knew that the health crisis would start to emerge with these Covid cases, which we hope will be controlled quickly and not suffocate us,” Etelivar Torres, mayor of Arauquita, told Reuters.

The refugee influx began a week ago after Venezuela’s National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) launched an offensive against illegal armed groups in La Victoria, a Venezuelan town in Apure province located across the Arauca River from Arauquita.

The refugees accuse the Venezuelan military of rights abuses, including killing civilians and the looting of homes.

Venezuela’s defense minister, Vladimir Padriño López, denied the accusations of abuses on Saturday, while Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek Saab, said the events would be subject to investigation.

Source: Moneytimes

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