Summary:
On 12 November 2015, more than 1,000 Cuban nationals were reported to be camped out at Paso Canoas border crossing with Panama awaiting the issuance of a pass permit not contemplated by Costa Rican legislation. On 14 November, the Costa Rican government issued a 7-day humanitarian visa to these migrants, initiating a massive mobilization toward Peñas Blancas at the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border. However, Nicaraguan authorities closed the border; this further compounded their vulnerability due to the uncertainty caused by this refusal to let them pass and forced them to camp out near the border.
For the Costa Rican authorities, this refusal involved having to set up collective centres and services to the migrants in country and possibly for the migrants that might still cross into Costa Rica.
As of 18 November 2015, it was estimated that approximately 2,000 foreigners were in La Cruz, the closest town to the Peñas Blancas border crossing with Nicaragua.
The migrants have often used their limited resource, which has left them without access to safe water, food and hygiene items, among other needs. Some of the collective centres are administered by the CRRC, while some migrants are either sleeping outside of customs’ headquarters or other buildings. As of 21 December 2015, it was estimated that approximately 4,500 migrants are in Costa Rica, there are 30 collective centres in the border with Nicaragua. Due to the lack of support of the other countries in the region, Costa Rica has stopped its participation in the Centre American Integration System (SICA), and has decided to close the border to the migrants coming from Panama.
The situation has worsened, especially due to the increase in the number of migrants in the Costa Rican territory and the deterioration of the relationships between the governments affected with this emergency. This has affected the humanitarian situation, and it has created the need to extend the planned intervention. As a result, some outcomes under this Plan of Action also have been adjusted after dialogue and coordination with the different agencies.
This DREF operation update reflects an extension in the timeframe of the intervention for one additional month to be able to support with the same budget, more beneficiaries. The pre-hospital care and hygiene items are still needed, although water distribution is no longer requested to the National Society. This update refers that although 1,000 beneficiaries were planned, the National Society has reached approximately 1,530 persons, and there is scope to reach at least 1,750 persons with the same sector interventions in pre-hospital care, psychosocial support and hygiene kits distribution. The delivery of safe water was stopped, because the government has requested that the National Society focus on supporting migrants with hygiene kits distribution for men. The United Nations Population Fund is in charge of providing hygiene kits needs for women.