Since January, the Venezuelan non-governmental organization Fundaredes has registered 246 disappearances of people in six Venezuelan states bordering Colombia.
According to Fundaredes, which made data available on the social network Twitter, the states with the highest number of disappearances are Táchira (west, on the border with Colombia), with 118 cases, which corresponds to 48% of the total, and Bolívar (Amazonas). ), with 55 cases, Zulia (29), Apure (22), Falcón (17) and Amazonas (five).
The NGO believes that the statistics for Táchira, the main point of transit for migrants, “demonstrate the vulnerability of citizens” in this region.
Fundaredes recalled that Táchira, a federal entity, is home to “the largest movement of irregular armed groups that control the illegal steps into Colombia through which thousands of people pass daily.”
The organization highlighted that the municipalities with the most cases of disappearances in Táchira are Bolívar, Pedro María Ureña, Ayacucho and García de Hevia”, along the border with the Colombian department of Norte de Santander.
In addition, Fundaredes denounced that the cases of disappearances on the border are “a constant” and “the indifference of the Venezuelan State to investigate, as well as to respond to the complaints of the families of the victims.”
In the most recent report, published this month, Fundaredes assured that 36 disappearances were registered in the Venezuelan “border corridor” in August, which represents an increase of 50% compared to July, when 24 were registered in the same area.
The NGO also indicated that 65 homicides were also registered in these six border states, with Zulia being the most affected region.
Source: TSF
