Experts Warn Guyana Of Huge Refugee Crisis As The Venezuelan Economy Plunges
The mayor of Chacao in Venezuela’s capital Caracas has warned that neighboring countries such as Guyana may suffer an influx of refugees from Venezuela if food shortages continue in the country.
The mayor, Ramón Muchacho, said that people have been reduced to hunting cats, dogs and pigeons for food.
“As hunger deepens, we could see more Venezuelans fleeing by land or sea to an island,” he said.
Venezuela saw a new wave of looting last week that resulted in at least two deaths, countless wounded, and millions of dollars in losses and damages, as desperation sets in among hungry residents and the country appears to be on the verge of complete collapse and chaos.
Similarly when the eruption of the Syrian conflict in March 2011, the world came to face the largest wave of forced migration in recent history. What began as a small-scale internal displacement problem quickly escalated into a large-scale crisis, one that spilled across borders into neighboring countries. As of October 2015, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and other neighboring countries host more than four million Syrians refugees.
As of 2015 the Venezuelan population was at 30,933,000 and experts predict a 9% mass migration towards Guyana’s borders which can translate to upwards of 3,000,000 illegal migrants on Guyana’s doorsteps. The economic pressures caused by the influx of Syrian refugees on countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, Iraq are substantial.
Guyana being a small economy will soon have to manage the effects of their unstable next-door neighbours.
Source:
http://guyanapress.com/experts...lan-economy-plunges/