UN: $1.35 billion needed to respond to Venezuela exodus
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says nations in Latin America and the Caribbean will need $1.35 billion to respond to the massive exodus of Venezuelans.
An estimated 4.6 million Venezuelans have now fled their crisis-torn country, testing neighboring countries where most are arriving.
The U.N. warns that if current trends continue, 6.5 million Venezuelans could be living outside the country by the end of 2020.
Officials have been drawing attention to the relatively dismal aid response of the international community compared to other crises.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini recently called the Venezuela exodus the “most underfunded refugee crisis in the world.”
The number of Venezuelans fleeing their country’s upheaval could soon surpass even the flight of Syrians escaping their nation’s conflict.
