LAJAS BLANCAS, Panama (AP) — Venezuelans trekking across the Darien Gap – a rugged jungle passage between Colombia and Panama – say they’re making the perilous journey because they lost hope for change after a contentious presidential election handed victory to President Nicolás Maduro despite vote tallies released by the opposition showing that his competitor won by a landslide.

“We stayed waiting for the election (results) because if Maduro left (power) then we would stay. But nothing happened,” said Enrique Dordis, 46, a former cab driver from the central state of Carabobo, who left Venezuela last week with his wife, an 8-year-old son, Emanuel, and four other family members.

  • @[email protected]
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    2 months ago

    If you walk that, you’re really desperate. That’s not at all what you would consider a viable route if you have any alternatives.

    • @fireweed
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      52 months ago

      Which makes me wonder, are there literally no alternatives in South America itself? I know Argentina has gone to shit, but what of the other countries?

      • @joostjakob
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        82 months ago

        There’s millions of Venezuelans in Colombia, Ecuador and further South. But their options there are for more limited than in the US.

  • atro_city
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    82 months ago

    What percentage of Venezuelans have already left? That would be interesting to find out. If all anti-Maduro voters just left the country, how many would be left and what would there be left for Maduro to control?

  • @[email protected]
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    2 months ago

    Yes, empire will continue to attack and impoverish any nation that refuses to install its puppet.

    • @[email protected]
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      92 months ago

      Oh bullshit. Venezuela has so much goddamn oil they don’t even need the USA. Hell, they are a founding member of OPEC. Poor governance and over the top corruption has ruined their economy. They produced millions of barrels of oil under Chavez. Maduro is just a fucker.

    • @Stamau123OP
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      42 months ago

      You mean to tell me Maduro is a long term CIA plant? Of course, it’s all so obvious now