-no action being taken by gov’t
By Khadidja Ba
The drowning of a Venezuelan child in a trench at Ruby, East Bank Essequibo has underlined the plight facing some migrants there and also the security and environmental issues confronting the communities who host them.
What started as a manageable migration situation on the East Bank of Essequibo has spiralled into a difficult situation for both the migrants and residents.
The tragic death of a 3-year-old migrant child, Marco Ezequiel Palma Perez, who drowned in a filthy canal behind makeshift shacks that house slightly fewer than 100 Venezuelan migrants has highlighted the difficult circumstances they face. The child’s body was discovered on November 13, 2024.
For almost five years, Ruby residents have provided food, shelter and support to the migrants fleeing Venezuela’s economic collapse. This hospitality has been consistently noted by Stabroek News (SN) in its coverage of similar situations. On October 27 this year, the Sunday Stabroek reported on the plight of the residents at migrants at Ruby. There has been no change in the situation.