Mary Wilson
Well-known member
Tue 9 Mar 2021 04.45 EST
Charis McGowan in Santiago
Activists are warning of a looming humanitarian crisis on the border between Chile and Bolivia as growing numbers of migrants brave the harsh terrain of the Chilean altiplano to cross the frontier on foot.
Chile closed its land borders last year as a preventive measure during the Covid-19 pandemic, but authorities have reported a surge in irregular crossings, mostly caused by Venezuelan migrants fleeing economic instability and political turmoil in their home country.
Since the start of the year, up to 200 migrants have entered Chile each day, crossing an arid landscape 3,690 meters above sea level where temperatures can sink to -8C.
Local authorities have struggled to accommodate the migrants. In the border town of Colchane ? which has intermittent electricity, no supermarkets or pharmacies, and sits three hours from the closest city ? travelers have been forced to shelter under plastic tarps.
In February, two people ? a Venezuelan and a Colombian ? died in the town?s makeshift camp, reportedly a result of hypothermia, and one woman suffered a miscarriage.
?The town is not well equipped and has collapsed with the irregular arrival of so many people,? said Marcela Tapia, director of the International Studies Institute at Arturo Prat University in Iquique, who researches migration in the border area.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/09/chile-bolivia-border-crisis-migrants
Charis McGowan in Santiago
Activists are warning of a looming humanitarian crisis on the border between Chile and Bolivia as growing numbers of migrants brave the harsh terrain of the Chilean altiplano to cross the frontier on foot.
Chile closed its land borders last year as a preventive measure during the Covid-19 pandemic, but authorities have reported a surge in irregular crossings, mostly caused by Venezuelan migrants fleeing economic instability and political turmoil in their home country.
Since the start of the year, up to 200 migrants have entered Chile each day, crossing an arid landscape 3,690 meters above sea level where temperatures can sink to -8C.
Local authorities have struggled to accommodate the migrants. In the border town of Colchane ? which has intermittent electricity, no supermarkets or pharmacies, and sits three hours from the closest city ? travelers have been forced to shelter under plastic tarps.
In February, two people ? a Venezuelan and a Colombian ? died in the town?s makeshift camp, reportedly a result of hypothermia, and one woman suffered a miscarriage.
?The town is not well equipped and has collapsed with the irregular arrival of so many people,? said Marcela Tapia, director of the International Studies Institute at Arturo Prat University in Iquique, who researches migration in the border area.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/09/chile-bolivia-border-crisis-migrants