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Venezuelans seeking asylum tops 117,000 this year – more than for whole of 2017

Some 117,000 Venezuelans have already claimed asylum in other countries this year – more than for the whole of last year – as people in the South American nation continue to face widespread food and medical shortages, skyrocketing inflation and political unrest and violence.

UN refugee agency, UNHCR, announced the figure this week as it welcomed news the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court had reversed the closure of the country’s border with Venezuela to the north. It had been temporarily blocked on Monday after a decision by a federal judge but was subsequently overturned by the higher court.

Brazil is currently home to 32,999 Venezuelan asylum seekers; another 25,000 people are legally permitted to stay thanks to work or residency permits or similar.

Welcoming the Brazilian court decision to overturn the ban, William Spindler, a spokesman for UNHCR based in Geneva said: “The total number of Venezuelan asylum seekers this year – this is asylum claims everywhere – is 117,000…and this figure surpasses the total number of claims made last year.”

UNHCR said that most of those who have left Venezuela for Brazil or Colombia need urgent assistance with food, healthcare, shelter and documentation.

 

 

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