Federal Government authorizes use of armed forces in Roraima
The order called Guarantee of Law and Order is valid until 12 September. Military staff will patrol borders and federal highways.
Roads in the town of Pacaraima.
In an order published today, 29 August, President Michel Temer authorized the deployment of the armed forces to guarantee law and order in Roraima. The state of Roraima is the principal point of entry of Venezuelans into Brazil. There have been recent reports of xenophobic attacks by the local population on the migrants. The military will be present at the eastern and northern borders, as well as on federal highways.
Two weeks ago, violent incidents against refugees in the town of Pacaraima, in the far north of Roraima, forced over a thousand Venezuelans to return to their neighbouring homeland. Temporary camps were destroyed and migrants’ belongings were set alight by Brazilian citizens.
“The Federal government insists on seeking a military solution to the issue of the refugees in Roraima. This is a mistake from a humanitarian point of view. Reception should be the responsibility of different government bodies, in conjunction with civil society.” Explained Camila Asano, Programme Coordinator at Conectas. “This is action without planning. There was no action proposal or justification.” She added.
Asano sees the violent incidents against migrants as the result of federal government inefficiency in providing a suitable, humanitarian response to the migratory influx and to the repeated appeals by local authorities in which they blame migration for the historic deficiencies of the state.
“Brazil is far from being the preferred destination of Venezuelans who are migrating due to the humanitarian crisis affecting their country. Brazil has received only 50 thousand of the approximately 1.6 million Venezuelans who have left the country since 2015.” Said Asano. “On the one hand, the Federal government needs to reinforce policies of interiorisation. On the other the Roraima government must face the reality of migration and that restrictive measures only increase social tension.”
Last Tuesday, 28 August, the Federal government carried out the sixth stage of the interiorisation programme, sending 278 Venezuelans to the cities of São Paulo, Manaus and João Pessoa. Until now, the cases of only approximately one thousand people have been handled. According to the UNHCR, a group of 600 people are to be taken to Porto Alegre at the beginning of September.
