THE number of Venezuelans living on the borders of Guyana has increased to 2,588, Director General (ag) of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig disclosed on Monday.

This new figure represents a slight increase from the last figure, which stood at 2,300. A multi-agency committee, which includes the Guyana Police Force, the Ministries of Communities, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Social Protection, Public Health and Citizenship and the CDC, is expected to meet within another two weeks to assess the challenges facing Venezuelans who have fled their homeland as a result of an ongoing socio-economic crisis there.

Ahead of the meeting, and on the sidelines of an Education Ministry training programme at Herdmanston Lodge, Lieutenant Colonel Craig told reporters that the multi-agency committee is monitoring the influx of Venezuelans, who are currently settling in Region One (Barima-Waini) and in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

“There has been a very small increase weekly of the numbers coming in,” he said.
The CDC director general (ag) said the multi-agency committee is working to establish a database which would highlight pertinent information about the Venezuelan migrants.
It was explained that the database would not only indicate the number of Venezuelans but would help the Health Ministry to monitor those with various forms of disease and illnesses. The database would also highlight their needs.

Presently the CDC is preparing to distribute another round of food and non-food items to the migrants as it continues to monitor the situation with the help the GDF and the Police on the ground. The CDC is receiving much needed support from the Government of Guyana, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Private Sector.

According to the IOM, approximately 1.6 million of the 2.3 million Venezuelans are currently living outside the Spanish speaking country, having fled since 2015. They are seeking refuge in neighbouring countries but the prolonged crisis has resulted in restriction by countries. Hyperinflation and economic insecurity, food shortages and lack of critical services particularly in the area of health are among challenges facing Venezuela since the start of the economic crisis there in 2015.