Venezuela crisis: Brazil to send army to safeguard border

Brazil announced Tuesday it is sending its army to the border to “guarantee law and order” amid an influx of migrants fleeing crisis-hit Venezuela.

President Michel Temer said in a televised address that Venezuela’s “tragic” situation threatened peace in the whole of South America.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled their country due to hyperinflation, and food and medicine shortages.

Brazil’s move follows recent border clashes between locals and Venezuelans.

The president signed a decree on Tuesday, which will deploy soldiers for two weeks along the border and federal roads of its northern state of Roraima.

“The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent,” Mr Temer said.

In addition to ensuring the security of Brazilians, the soldiers’ role is also to look after the Venezuelan migrants’ safety, the president stated.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Peru has declared a 60-day health emergency in two provinces on its northern border, after health authorities expressed concerns of the spread of diseases from migrants.

BBC