Venezuela Crisis

Venezuela Map
Source: OCHA/ReliefWeb

The country

Venezuela (officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) is a country on the northern coast of South America that gained independence from Spain in 1811. Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830; the others are Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia. The country is bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean and shares land borders with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana. Its capital is Caracas. Venezuela covers an area of 912,050 square kilometers. In 2022, the country had an estimated population of about 29.8 million people. Venezuela is one of the resource-rich countries in the world.

The humanitarian situation

Political turmoil and socioeconomic decline in Venezuela have led to the worst humanitarian crisis in South America and one of the largest migration crises in the world. Venezuela is experiencing a political and economic crisis marked by hyperinflation, limited food availability, medicine shortages, violent crime, and human right violations. Since 2014, more than six million Venezuelans have fled to Latin American and Caribbean countries. In 2023, 7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the South American country.

During 2022, there were some signs of economic stabilization and growth in Venezuela, but the country has to overcome major socioeconomic challenges due to the massive economic contraction over the past eight years. Despite the potential end of hyperinflation, Venezuela still faces a severe humanitarian emergency, with millions of people lacking access to clean water, adequate nutrition, health care, and other basic services.

More than 7.1 million refugees and migrants - one quarter of the population - have left Venezuela as a result of the humanitarian crisis and ongoing political and socio-economic instability, triggering the largest external displacement crisis in Latin America’s recent history. Seventeen countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean host around 85 per cent of Venezuelans who have fled their home country. Neighboring Colombia is the largest host country for Venezuelan refugees and migrants (2.5 million people).

According to the United Nations, 7 million people in Venezuela need humanitarian aid in 2023. Among them are 3.2 million children, according to UNICEF. 2.3 million Venezuelans are severely food insecure. An additional 7 million are moderately food insecure. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says that 60% of households in Venezuela do not have sufficient income to buy enough food.

On November 26, 2022, the Venezuelan government and the opposition (Unitary Platform, Plataforma Unitaria de Venezuela) signed the Mesa Social humanitarian agreement, committing both parties to pursue joint initiatives to benefit the Venezuelan people and address humanitarian needs using frozen Government of Venezuela funds for assistance in the South American country. 

Representatives from the government and the opposition agreed to prioritize funds to support Venezuela’s health system and expand emergency food assistance via the World Food Programme. The implementation of the humanitarian agreement could lead to a significant decrease in the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance in the country.

Venezuela LocationThe security situation

The crisis in Venezuela began during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and deteriorated under the first presidency of Nicolás Maduro between 2014 and 2018. On January 10, 2019, Nicolás Maduro claimed the presidency for his second term in an election boycotted by most opposition parties and widely viewed as fraudulent. The last democratically-elected institution is the 2015 National Assembly. 

While Venezuela is legally a multiparty, constitutional republic, the authoritarian government led by Nicolás Maduro exercises control over all branches of government: executive, judicial, legislative, the offices of the prosecutor general and ombudsman, and the electoral institutions. 

The president of the 2015 National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, is recognized by several countries as the interim president of Venezuela, while Maduro is recognized by most countries. In 2020, legislative elections were held in Venezuela for a new National Assembly, which the opposition boycotted and which were widely condemned as neither free nor fair. The resulting assembly is viewed by most opposition parties and many international actors as illegitimate.

On December 30, 2022, the Venezuelan opposition (Unitary Platform) dissolved the interim government led by Juan Guaidó. The vote was held in the opposition-controlled 2015 National Assembly. Delegates from three of the four main opposition parties voted to remove Guaidó as interim president and place responsibility for the interim government in the hands of a committee.

Violent crimes, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking are common in the country. Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world with 40,9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Political rallies and demonstrations occur, often with little notice.  Demonstrations typically elicit a strong police and security force response that includes the use of tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against participants and occasionally devolve into looting and vandalism.

A United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission reported documented human rights abuses attributed to the Maduro government, including torture, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and detentions without due process.  According to human rights groups, Venezuelan security forces are responsible for extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances. They have jailed opponents, tortured detainees, prosecuted civilians in military courts, and clamped down on protesters. In November 2021, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor announced his decision to open an investigation into possible crimes against humanity committed in the country.  

Donations

Your donation for the Venezuela emergency and the Venezuela refugee crisis can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to rapidly provide water, food, medicine, shelter and other aid to the people who need it most.

Currently, there are only a few active appeals for the Venezuela crisis. You may also consider making an unearmarked donation for organizations active in the country.

Further Information

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