To take stock of the situation of asylum seekers in Guyana: Interview
with V. member of the Upaya association, coming to the aid of exiles
present in Cayenne ---- A year ago, you described to us the dramatic
situation of asylum seekers in Guyana (see CA 330). The situation does
not seem to have improved. Can you give me a quick update on where we
are today? ---- No, that's the least we can say... asylum seekers are
flocking more and more and still no CADA (reception center for asylum
seekers) planned. Instead, prefectural decrees to prohibit "camping" in
the streets of Cayenne followed one after the other and in October 2023
an evacuation of all asylum seekers living outside followed by their
transfer to the "green camp", far from the downtown. This camp, which is
not a long-term accommodation solution, is installed on State land with
former buildings of the General Directorate of Cohesion and Population.
But these buildings are not accessible for asylum seekers, who camp outside.
One or two HUDA projects (emergency accommodation for asylum seekers)
are in the pipeline but in remote municipalities, without administrative
follow-up, so transport problems are to be expected to access the
procedures that are carried out in the center of Cayenne (OFPRA, OFII,
prefecture...). The serious lack of public transport in Guyana will
complicate, from a practical point of view, the files that are already
very complicated to complete.
What nationalities are currently present at the Verdure camp? Where is
it situated? What are the current living conditions?
Since the evacuation of Place des Amandiers at the end of 2023, there
are around 400 people in this Verdure camp. It is located on Route du
Tigre, in a fairly isolated place hidden from everyone's view. Nobody
goes to this place. Among the approximately 400 people, there are
currently around 90 children out of school.
In the camp, initially there were 2 toilets, no access to drinking
water, no shower, only one tap. Things are slowly changing since there
is now drinking water, 4 construction site toilets and 2 prefabricated
showers. Luxury in a way... Large garbage bins have been installed in
the middle of the camp.
The water point...
People live under tarpaulins stretched between pallets, since they only
have access to a small collective building and a carbet[building without
walls used in the Amazon to install hammocks]. Access to electricity is
via wild connections from these buildings.
Currently, new families arrive every week. The majority are Afghans, the
rest Syrians, and finally a few Sahrawis (mostly young single men).
Recently 3 Iraqis arrived, is this a sign of the beginning of the
arrival of this community?
Associations like La Cimade, Le Comede and Médecins du Monde in Guyana
are healing the wounds as best they can in the face of inaction by the
State and more generally by local officials. These associations appealed
to the administrative court at the beginning of the year regarding the
unworthy living conditions in the camp.
What was the result? Did that change anything? Are there other
administrative procedures underway?
The appeal was not very successful. Refusal to build a CADA to house
people. Refusal to take into account the fact that children are not in
school under the pretext that "some are"... in reality 4 out of 92.
An order to install single-sex showers and 8 new toilet cubicles within
10 days has been issued. In reality, only 4 new toilets were installed.
An appeal is therefore underway and the hearing for the interim release
will take place on March 14.
What is the position of local elected officials on this very sensitive
subject locally?
Difficult to say, since the ADs are "in the green" and therefore well
hidden from everyone's life, more people talk about them.
The mayor of Cayenne mentioned referrals to Brazil? Is this true, and if
so, who did this crazy idea come from?
It was in fact in the speech of Sandra Trochimara, the mayor of Cayenne,
who knows nothing about international law and who is just trying to
create a buzz: "They arrive via Brazil which grants them a right of
entry, therefore Brazil must assume them."
How does the population intervene locally to support these people?
I have received feedback from people who think that there are no more
DAs since they no longer see them on the Place des Amandiers (where
before November 2023 a camp was set up) or on the sidewalks. For my
part, at the level of our association I have quite a few people who
contact me to make donations, mainly clothes. A group of volunteer
teachers have organized themselves to come and give French lessons to
the children, on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, by age group.
Next to the camp is the Remire boxing club and an abandoned hangar. In
connection with this very supportive sports association, our association
organizes activities for children in the hangar. French classes also
take place there. This hangar has been completely abandoned for many
years... and suddenly, as if by chance, the city took an interest in it
and wanted to destroy it to make it a technical room for the territorial
community of Guyana (garage, management transport, demonstration service)
Unfortunately we have little hope of progress at present. The DAs
continue to arrive and conditions improve little or not at all. The
invisibility as well as the town hall's projects for the greenery site
do not go in the direction of improving living conditions, but rather of
putting in difficulty the associations, the groups of voluntary people
who help with the daily DAs and above all a potential deterioration of
the already inhumane living conditions of this exiled population.
P.-S.
See also: Guyana, gateway to asylum in France
http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4139
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
with V. member of the Upaya association, coming to the aid of exiles
present in Cayenne ---- A year ago, you described to us the dramatic
situation of asylum seekers in Guyana (see CA 330). The situation does
not seem to have improved. Can you give me a quick update on where we
are today? ---- No, that's the least we can say... asylum seekers are
flocking more and more and still no CADA (reception center for asylum
seekers) planned. Instead, prefectural decrees to prohibit "camping" in
the streets of Cayenne followed one after the other and in October 2023
an evacuation of all asylum seekers living outside followed by their
transfer to the "green camp", far from the downtown. This camp, which is
not a long-term accommodation solution, is installed on State land with
former buildings of the General Directorate of Cohesion and Population.
But these buildings are not accessible for asylum seekers, who camp outside.
One or two HUDA projects (emergency accommodation for asylum seekers)
are in the pipeline but in remote municipalities, without administrative
follow-up, so transport problems are to be expected to access the
procedures that are carried out in the center of Cayenne (OFPRA, OFII,
prefecture...). The serious lack of public transport in Guyana will
complicate, from a practical point of view, the files that are already
very complicated to complete.
What nationalities are currently present at the Verdure camp? Where is
it situated? What are the current living conditions?
Since the evacuation of Place des Amandiers at the end of 2023, there
are around 400 people in this Verdure camp. It is located on Route du
Tigre, in a fairly isolated place hidden from everyone's view. Nobody
goes to this place. Among the approximately 400 people, there are
currently around 90 children out of school.
In the camp, initially there were 2 toilets, no access to drinking
water, no shower, only one tap. Things are slowly changing since there
is now drinking water, 4 construction site toilets and 2 prefabricated
showers. Luxury in a way... Large garbage bins have been installed in
the middle of the camp.
The water point...
People live under tarpaulins stretched between pallets, since they only
have access to a small collective building and a carbet[building without
walls used in the Amazon to install hammocks]. Access to electricity is
via wild connections from these buildings.
Currently, new families arrive every week. The majority are Afghans, the
rest Syrians, and finally a few Sahrawis (mostly young single men).
Recently 3 Iraqis arrived, is this a sign of the beginning of the
arrival of this community?
Associations like La Cimade, Le Comede and Médecins du Monde in Guyana
are healing the wounds as best they can in the face of inaction by the
State and more generally by local officials. These associations appealed
to the administrative court at the beginning of the year regarding the
unworthy living conditions in the camp.
What was the result? Did that change anything? Are there other
administrative procedures underway?
The appeal was not very successful. Refusal to build a CADA to house
people. Refusal to take into account the fact that children are not in
school under the pretext that "some are"... in reality 4 out of 92.
An order to install single-sex showers and 8 new toilet cubicles within
10 days has been issued. In reality, only 4 new toilets were installed.
An appeal is therefore underway and the hearing for the interim release
will take place on March 14.
What is the position of local elected officials on this very sensitive
subject locally?
Difficult to say, since the ADs are "in the green" and therefore well
hidden from everyone's life, more people talk about them.
The mayor of Cayenne mentioned referrals to Brazil? Is this true, and if
so, who did this crazy idea come from?
It was in fact in the speech of Sandra Trochimara, the mayor of Cayenne,
who knows nothing about international law and who is just trying to
create a buzz: "They arrive via Brazil which grants them a right of
entry, therefore Brazil must assume them."
How does the population intervene locally to support these people?
I have received feedback from people who think that there are no more
DAs since they no longer see them on the Place des Amandiers (where
before November 2023 a camp was set up) or on the sidewalks. For my
part, at the level of our association I have quite a few people who
contact me to make donations, mainly clothes. A group of volunteer
teachers have organized themselves to come and give French lessons to
the children, on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, by age group.
Next to the camp is the Remire boxing club and an abandoned hangar. In
connection with this very supportive sports association, our association
organizes activities for children in the hangar. French classes also
take place there. This hangar has been completely abandoned for many
years... and suddenly, as if by chance, the city took an interest in it
and wanted to destroy it to make it a technical room for the territorial
community of Guyana (garage, management transport, demonstration service)
Unfortunately we have little hope of progress at present. The DAs
continue to arrive and conditions improve little or not at all. The
invisibility as well as the town hall's projects for the greenery site
do not go in the direction of improving living conditions, but rather of
putting in difficulty the associations, the groups of voluntary people
who help with the daily DAs and above all a potential deterioration of
the already inhumane living conditions of this exiled population.
P.-S.
See also: Guyana, gateway to asylum in France
http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4139
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten