Central Americans flee homes in record numbers: 'The level of violence is brutal'

[Judi Lynn]

Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala the main source countries
Tom Phillips in Mexico City
Tue 22 May 2018 15.01 EDT

The UN has reported an alarming spike in the number of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing violence and persecution in Central America, urging the international community to take steps to meet the region’s “huge” needs.

The number of asylum seekers and refugees who had abandoned the region increased from about 18,000 in 2011 to 294,000 at the end of last year, the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, announced. That number grew 58% last year alone.

. . .

Francesca Fontanini, a Mexico-based UNHCR spokeswoman, said those being displaced were largely seeking shelter from rampant gang violence in what is one of the world’s murderous regions.

Central America was last year home to four of the world’s 50 deadliest citieswhile Washington’s controversial deportation of Central Americans has been blamed for exacerbating the problem.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/22/central-americans-refugees-asylum-seekers-violence