The US administration expects the number of refugees from Venezuela to reach 5 million by the end of this year, Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2019) The US administration expects the number of refugees from Venezuela to reach 5 million by the end of this year, Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said on Friday."The number comes from a mathematic extrapolation," Abrams told reporters during a press briefing at the State Department.
He said that as of now, about 5,000 people leave Venezuela for Colombia each day. "So just do the math, you would reach about 5 million by the end of Calendar 2019," Abrams said.
Venezuela's government has not provided any official information on the number of citizens who have left the country during the current crisis. In 2017, the country's population exceeded 31 million.
According to UN estimates, more than 1 million Venezuelans have fled economic hardships and have sought refuge in Colombia. However, before the crisis struck Venezuela, the migrant flow went in the opposite direction, with Colombians fleeing violence in their own country for a more peaceful neighbor.
Tensions in Venezuela escalated last month when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, disputing the May elections despite international observers saying they were fair. The United States immediately recognized Guaido, seized billions of Dollars' worth of the country's oil assets, and threatened to use military action against Maduro's government.
Maduro has accused Guaido of conspiring with the United States to overthrow the country's legitimate government including by organizing the delivery of so-called humanitarian as part of a plan to justify US military intervention. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and a number of other countries have reaffirmed their support for Maduro as Venezuela's only legitimate president. The United Nations also still recognizes the Maduro government.
