The United Nation’s Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced today that the total number of Venezuelan migrants has grown to 3 million, a figure that represents approximately 10% of the country’s population.
The UNHCR estimates to 2.4 million Venezuelans have escaped into Latin America and the Caribbean, while the remaining have fled to other parts of the world. On the world’s response to the migrant crisis, the UNHCR notes:
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have largely maintained a commendable open-door policy to refugees and migrants from Venezuela; however, their reception capacity is severely strained, requiring a more robust and immediate response from the international community if this generosity and solidarity are to continue.
According to the UNHCR, Venezuelan migration numbers in Latin America are distributed in the following way:
- Colombia: 1,000,000+
- Peru: 500,000+
- Ecuador: 220,000+
- Argentina: 130,000+
- Chile: 100,000+
- Panama: 94,000+
- Brazil: 85,000+
The same UNHCR report notes that a coalition of 40 “partners and participants” called the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform, launched in September of this year, is “strengthening the operational response” of the region in a new initiative that will be launched in December. The UNHCR describes the initiative in the following way:
The RMRP will focus on four strategic areas: direct emergency assistance, protection, socio-economic and cultural integration and capacity-building for governments of receiving countries.
Requesens Allowed Lawyer Visit; First in 93 Days
National Assembly deputy Juan Requesens was finally allowed to see his lawyers today for the first time in his 93 days in detention. Joel Garcia, a leading lawyer in Requesens’ defense team, tweeted today that they were granted access to their client for 30 minutes.
Requesens has been held in El Helicoide, the headquarters of the Maduro regime’s political police, since August 7. when he was arrested in connection to the August 4 drone attack against Maduro.
Like approximately 40% of all political prisoners in Venezuela, Requesens is suffering from a health condition for which he is not receiving adequate care. Starting in late August, fellow National Assembly deputy and medical doctor Ricardo Alonso warned that Requesens was not receiving treatment for a metabolic disorder from which he suffers.
Men in Police Uniform Murder National Guard Colonel
Last night, a group of men in police uniform murdered National Guard colonel Henry Domingo Arellano Solano in the Villa de Cura municipality in Aragua state.
According to Noticiero Digital, Arellano was traveling along the main road in Villa de Cua at 11:00 PM last night when he was approached by a convoy that included a motorcycle and SUV, both of which carried the insignia of the CICPC, Venezuela’s investigative police. When the men approached Arellano and he identified himself as a National Guard colonel, they shot and killed him.
Arellano was traveling with two companions: a man named Johan Jose Estevez Godoy, and a woman whose name is only being reported as Yoraima. They were both kidnapped by the assailants, and their status is unknown as of the writing of this update.
Arellano was the commander of the Conopoima Area de Defensa Integral (ADI) [Integral Defense Area]. The ADI system in Venezuela, which is comprised of 99 different blocks, is a martial administrative tool used to allocate and manage military assets.
It is not clear at this time if the assailants were actually members of the CICPC.
I am going to be specially busy this week, and may be unable to dedicate much time to the daily updates.
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