Today Venezuela faces a political and economic crisis that has been devastating the country. It started in 2013 when Nicolás Maduro became president after the death of Hugo Chávez and was intensified by the devaluation of oil in the international market from 2014. The consequence was the impoverishment of the population, leading to the huge migratory crisis that we face today.
On the political side, it is characterized by the dispute between Nicolás Maduro’s government (and his party – United Socialist Party from Venezuela) and the Venezuelan opposition that denounces abuses of power committed by the president. After Chávez’s death, Maduro won the electoral dispute by a very small margin and took over Venezuela when the economic crisis was beginning to emerge. This reinforced the country’s opposition against the government and led Maduro to use force mechanisms to fight and silence his opponents. Since then, he has used authoritarian actions to remain in power with the support of the Venezuelan armed forces.
On the economic side, the crisis was exacerbated by the drop in price of a barrel of oil on the international market in 2014. Oil reserves were discovered in Venezuela in the early 20th century and have since become the country’s main source of wealth. Because it depends almost exclusively on its sale, the country has not invested enough in its own industry and agriculture, making importation the main means of economic revenue. In addition, from 2017 the US government began to impose sanctions on the Venezuelan economy in retaliation to authoritarianism, which forced the country to reduce the amount of oil exported, amplifying the economic crisis.
The consequence of the crisis was the impoverishment of the population and lack of basic necessities in the country. There is a general lack of everyday products such as food and medicines, which when found are at exorbitant prices. All of this led the many Venezuelans to leave their country in search of better conditions to survive. The countries that received the most Venezuelans are Colombia and Peru. Brazil was not the first choice for Venezuelans due to the language difference, but the ease of entering the country through the border with Roraima led many Venezuelans to venture into Brazilian land dreaming of building a new life.
Brazil, and especially the state of Roraima was not prepared to receive such a large number of Venezuelans and the country has faced the challenge of welcoming them and integrating them into society. To speed up the process, the Brazilian government has been facilitating requests for refugee and temporary residence visas, and with regularized documentation, Venezuelans are able to look for jobs and seek a stable life in the country.
And in the midst of all this, AIRE was born to provide assistance to those who having abandoned their nation, now make Brazil their new home. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to live a dignified life and decided to make it our mission. Join us!
Text extracted from https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historia-da-america/crise-na-venezuela.htm
