Region Seven communities reeling from ‘complicated’ Venezuelan influx – Village reps

Mar 05, 2019 News

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By Kemol King
Venezuela is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, which has caused a massive exodus of millions of refugees to neighbouring countries, including Guyana.
Four years later, the influx of persons affected by the political and socio-economic unrest is still affecting Guyana.
Devroy Thomas is the APA representative for Arau, a border community in Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Region Seven. He expressed discontentment for the growing migrant situation in the region, which he describes as complicated.

In an interview with this publication, Thomas explained that Venezuelans coming into the region enter through the Wenamu River. The river is narrow, he explains; it is about 90 feet wide. He said that Venezuelans have been trying to cross all year. However, at this time of the year, the water is very low, so it is safer to cross.
According to Thomas, most of the incomers reside in communities in and around Arau. He said that, though many are unemployed, they stay in the “business area” of the mines, hoping to get jobs in the mining sector.
In his estimation, over 100 people have crossed the river in the past year and the community does not have the resources or the capacity to cater to their needs.
The  representative noted that a significant number of migrant children are in need of schooling. He explained that the leaders in Arau have been trying to get the children involved in school, but the authorities maintain that the children shall not be enrolled unless the arrangement is legal. Since most of the children are illegal immigrants, few are actually given a chance to pursue an education.
A lot of free time and lack of access to comprehensive healthcare has resulted in an outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). According to Thomas, the Community Health Worker for the area told the village leaders that some young people have been referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation because there isn’t medication available to treat those illnesses.
There is one drug store run by a Colombian, but because of the demand for medication, it has quickly run out, and the individual has not been able to stock the store as much as the community needs.

To add to that, crime has taken a turn for the worse. Thomas recalled two murder cases, one quite recent. He said that no one knows who the victim is, but they are certain he is Venezuelan. Two skeletons were found by the village leaders, while they were conducting research with the Amerindian Peoples’ Association, (APA) but no one has accounted for missing persons.
Although he maintains that the influx leaves the community in a worse state than it was before, Thomas refuses to turn refugees away.
“When one of them comes around, we don’t refuse them. We have to offer them something,” he said.
Thomas is calling for the government to assist the refugees because they are suffering, “and they need help very much.”
However, the representative in a nearby village feels differently about the crisis.
Claude Anselmo is the leader of Kaikan. He is also the regional representative for Cuyuni-Mazaruni to the APA, with responsibility for Kaikan as well as Arau.
“These are not refugees,” he contends, “These are businessmen”.
He said that many Venezuelans come in with things to sell “drugs, ammunition, whatever they can sell.”
He said that they would come in with things to sell, then cross the river again.
At one instance, the influx had started to slow. However, when word reached that the Government of Guyana had sent two sets of food and supplies for the refugees currently in the area, more started to swarm. But the government has not maintained a steady supply.
Since they come and meet a shortage of resources, Anselmo said that they break and enter business places, and steal clothes from villagers’ yards. There have been multiple arrests for trafficking of marijuana and cocaine, as well as for breaking and entering. And for both issues, Venezuelans are currently facing prosecution.
On top of that, he says, migrant women have decided to perform sex work as a way to earn. Like Arau, Kaikan is affected by a surge in STDs.
The Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force have presence in the area, but the representatives are not confident that this has proven effective against crime and insecurity. And though there is at least one community policing group in the area, they are afraid, because they are not armed as the police and soldiers are.
Both  representatives still try to help, but they say that people are afraid for the wellbeing of their communities. Thomas said that they will continue to provide assistance for those in need, but they are small in number and there is not much they can do.

 

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