Peru: Haitian migrants violently pushed back to the Brazilian border
On the bridge that separates Brazil and Peru, dozens of police and soldiers block migrants to prevent them from entering Peru.
© Radio Madre de Dios
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Since Sunday February 14, nearly 400 migrants, mostly Haitians, have been trying to cross the border between Brazil and Peru.
But they are violently pushed back by Peruvian soldiers and police because Peru has closed its borders as part of the state of health emergency linked to the coronavirus.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in Lima,
Wyloën Munhoz-Boillot
The tension is palpable in this video shot on the outskirts of Iñapari, a village in the southeast of Peru, on the border with Brazil.
On the bridge that separates the two countries, dozens of police and soldiers stand in the way of migrants and do not hesitate to use force, as evidenced by this Haitian speaking to the Peruvian security forces.
“
You treat us like animals.
You hit our women and our children, when we just want to pass,
”he says.
According to local media, tear gas was launched against the migrants.
Most of them are Haitians, but some also come from Burkina Faso, Senegal, Bangladesh or Pakistan.
They had lived in Brazil for years, but the economic and
health
crisis
that is hitting this country hard pushed them to leave.
Far from wanting to settle in Peru, they want to be able to continue their journey, as explained by this Catholic missionary who came to the aid of migrants there.
"
They are asking that buses be made available to them that they are willing to pay to be driven to the border with Ecuador and then reach Mexico,
" he said.
Migrants are therefore demanding that they be allowed to pass, especially as the closure of borders favors human trafficking.
“
The borders are closed, but the smugglers take them across the river and fill their pockets,”
adds the missionary.
Normally, the crossing costs a dollar, but Haitians tell us that they are charged up to 120 dollars.
"
On Monday, local authorities and the Catholic Church called on the Peruvian government to find a solution quickly to prevent an escalation of violence.
Similar incidents occurred two weeks ago on the border with Ecuador.
The Peruvian government then sent the army to Tumbes to prevent the entry of Venezuelan migrants into Peruvian territory.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Peru
International Migration
Brazil
Haiti
On the same subject
Honduras: migrant caravan on its way to the United States enters Guatemala
Report
Stranded at the Mexican border, migrants from the DRC and Haiti dream of the United States
Guatemala: the caravan of migrants from Honduras violently repressed