Colombia: FM says more aid needed for influx of Venezuelan migrants

(22 May 2019) Colombia's Foreign Minister on Wednesday requested the international community to offer additional humanitarian assistance given the ever increasing numbers of Venezuelan migrants crossing into Colombia.

"It worries us immensely," said Carlos Holmes Trujillo, speaking at a news conference called for the specific purpose of telling the world of Colombia's need for additional aid to meet the daily influx if 63,000 Venezuelans who cross the border and of which 2.500 remain in that country.

"This is the second largest migration in the world after the Syrians in Turkey but which has happened more rapidly to get to such high numbers in such a short time period,"  Trujillo said referring to the almost 1.3 million Venezuelans who have migrated to Colombia in the past year.

Since January of this year, Colombia has received some 228 million dollars (US) to aid in helping cope with the growing migrant community.

Colombia has received more Venezuelan migrants than any other nation, and the numbers are not expected to dip any time soon.      

More than 3 million Venezuelans, or one-tenth of the population, have left the crisis-wracked country, where a political struggle continues to be played out between U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido and socialist President Nicolas Maduro.



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