- The organization highlighted that they have had to “redouble efforts” in the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz | Photo: EFE
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Wednesday, November 13, of its concern about the “drastic” increase in caravans of migrants arriving in Mexico through the country’s southern border.
According to the organization, they have had to “redouble efforts” in the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz, where groups of hundreds of migrants cross the territory on their way to the US border.
The violence to which young people, boys, girls, women and men of all ages are exposed as they pass through Mexico, including kidnappings, extortion or sexual violence, forces them to travel in caravans as a protection mechanism,” denounced Ricardo Santiago, coordinator of MSF projects in southern Mexico.
Santiago asserted that “the caravans are becoming more and more multitudinous,” because if in the month of September they were counted in the hundreds, now the count is in the thousands.
Eight caravans in less than a month
MSF teams carried out 855 medical consultations after assisting in the arrival of eight caravans made up of around 5,000 people between September 24 and November 8, six of them in the last three weeks, and which had originally left the city of Tapachula. , on the border with Guatemala.
Furthermore, in the coming days the authorities expect the formation of new massive caravans and their transit through different parts of southern Mexico, says the NGO.
Apart from violence, other factors that lead migrants to group together in caravans are the saturation of services to process refugee applications in Mexico, the high demand for asylum applications through the US CBP-One system and the delay in the answers,” explained Santiago.
MSF interventions occurred in the towns of Santiago Niltepec, La Venta, Sayula de Alemán and Huixtla, and among the people served were patients with acute respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, skin and gastrointestinal conditions due to the consumption of non-potable water, long walks and high temperatures.
In addition, the organization collects testimonies of the psychological impact suffered by the people who make up these human caravans as a result of their traumatic experience.
“We witness every day the suffering and invisibility of the migrant population and the impact on their physical and mental health. At MSF we insist on the need to address the consequences of violence, provide safe migration routes and reinforce the basic services available to people on the move,” stressed the coordinator for projects in Tapachula, Daniel Bruce.
With information from EFE
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What are the primary health issues faced by migrants in the recent surge of caravans in southern Mexico?
**Eight Caravans in Less Than a Month: A Growing Migrant Crisis**
In recent weeks, the situation for migrants in southern Mexico has intensified dramatically. According to reports, the number of migrant caravans has surged, with eight being formed between September 24 and November 8, collectively comprising around 5,000 individuals. This increase has been noted particularly since September, when the number of people migrating was counted in the hundreds, but has now escalated to the thousands.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been actively involved in providing medical assistance to these migrants, performing 855 medical consultations during this period. The caravans primarily originated from Tapachula, a city located on the border with Guatemala. MSF’s recent interventions took place in several towns, including Santiago Niltepec, La Venta, Sayula de Alemán, and Huixtla. A variety of health issues have been reported among the migrants, including acute respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal pain, skin conditions, and gastrointestinal issues, largely attributable to exposure to unsanitary conditions, long walks, and extreme temperatures.
Santiago, a representative of MSF, highlighted the increasing tendency for migrants to travel in larger groups. He attributed this trend not only to violence but also to a bottleneck in the processing of refugee applications in Mexico and a high demand for asylum applications in the United States through the CBP-One system. The delay in responses to these applications has further exacerbated the situation, prompting more individuals to seek safety in numbers.
As the situation continues to evolve, authorities anticipate that new large-scale caravans will form, further impacting the regions of southern Mexico already grappling with this growing humanitarian crisis.
