Most people fleeing violence in Nicaragua took refuge in Costa Rica, where at least 23,000 tried to obtain refuge since the start of the crisis in April, the UN said on Tuesday.
In recent months, the number of refuge applications filed by Nicaraguans in Costa Rica and other countries increased exponentially,”
said a spokesman for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), William Spindler, at a press conference in Geneva.
Currently, 200 refuge applications are registered every day in Costa Rica, according to the UNHCR that wants to help the authorities increase this figure to at least 500 a day.
The spokesman explained that UNHCR reinforces its presence in Costa Rica, as well as other UN agencies and associated NGOs, and is prepared to provide protection and immediate assistance to thousands of Nicaraguan refugees and asylum seekers, both in the region north of Costa Rica and in the surroundings of the capital, San José.
Many Nicaraguans who flee their country are welcomed by some of the 100,000 to 150,000 Nicaraguan families that were already settled in Costa Rica before the crisis, according to the UNHCR, which is preparing a regional plan to respond to the needs of the refugees.
Since April 18th, Nicaragua has experienced a protest movement against the government that has been severely repressed, leaving more than 300 dead and 2,000 injured, according to several human rights organizations.