BRASILIA (AFP) - Brazil President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday (Aug 28) to send the army to "guarantee law and order" on the border with crisis-hit Venezuela after recent violent clashes.

Earlier this month, more than a thousand homeless Venezuelan immigrants who had flooded over the border into Brazil's northwestern Roraima state were driven back by an angry mob that rampaged through their makeshift tent following rumours a local shopkeeper had been brutally beaten by migrants.

Temer said his measure was aimed at providing "security for Brazilian citizens but also Venezuelan immigrants fleeing their country".

He also branded Venezuela's crisis as "tragic," saying it "threatens the harmony of practically the entire continent."

Temer called on "the international community to adopt diplomatic measures" to halt the Venezuelan exodus, as economic and political crises under President Nicolas Maduro's regime drive hundreds of thousands to leave in hope of finding a better life elsewhere.

The United Nations says some 2.3 million Venezuelans are living outside their homeland, with 1.6 million of those having left since 2015.

Oil-rich but over-reliant, Venezuela is in a fourth year of recession brought on by a crash in oil prices in 2014. Some 96 per cent of the country's revenue is generated through crude.

Temer didn't reveal how many soldiers would be deployed to Roraima, but Defence Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna said "troops are already in place" on the border.

Security Minister Sergio Etchegoyen warned that Brazil "needs to discipline" the influx of migrants.</s>Image copyright Reuters Image caption Soldiers are to police the border which has been strained by an influx of Venezuelan migrants

Brazil says it is sending its army to the Venezuelan border to "guarantee law and order" amid an influx of migrants fleeing the crisis-hit country.

President Michel Temer said in a televised address on Tuesday that Venezuela's "tragic" situation threatened peace across South America.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled their country due to hyperinflation, and food and medicine shortages.

Brazil's move follows recent border clashes between locals and Venezuelans.

Following those clashes, President Temer sent a small contingent of troops to the border town of Pacaraima, where the unrest happened.

On Tuesday, he signed a decree which will deploy soldiers for two weeks along the border and federal roads of its northern state of Roraima.

"The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent," Mr Temer said.

In addition to ensuring the security of Brazilians, the soldiers' role is also to look after the Venezuelan migrants' safety, the president stated.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Peru has declared a 60-day health emergency in two provinces on its northern border, after health authorities expressed concerns of the spread of diseases from migrants.

What is happening in Venezuela?

Venezuela is in its fourth year of an economic crisis, brought on by a crash in oil prices in 2014.

Four in five Venezuelans live in poverty, and people queue for hours to buy food while others are dying from a lack of medicine.

This was compounded by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's decision in August to issue a new currency to manage the country's runaway inflation - a move that caused widespread confusion.

Some 2.3 million citizens have fled the country since 2014, sparking the worst migration crisis in Latin American history, according to the United Nations.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venezuelans are fleeing political instability and hyper inflation

Regional tensions have been stoked, as neighbouring countries struggle to accommodate the exodus of Venezuelans.

The UN's migration agency said last week Venezuela is heading for the same refugee "crisis moment" seen in the Mediterranean in 2015.

What are neighbouring countries doing?

There are more than a million Venezuelans in Colombia, more than half a million in Ecuador, more than 400,000 in Peru and some 60,000 in Brazil.

Brazil has not said how many of its armed forces will be sent to police the border this week.

One minister told journalists that troops were already in place, while another warned Brazil "needs to discipline" the influx of migrants.

This month, Peru began tightening its border by requiring passports instead of national ID cards from Venezuelan migrants.

The first day the new rule was instituted, Peru reported a more than 50% drop in the number of migrants. But hundreds more without passports entered the country by seeking asylum.

Similar regulations were introduced in Ecuador, only to be overturned by a court ruling.

Brazil's northern state of Roraima has also had its attempt to close the border with Venezuela thrown out by a judge.

Violence erupted in Pacaraima last week when local residents attacked makeshift camps housing Venezuelan migrants. The camps were burned down and the occupants temporarily fled back across the border.

Despite the violence, the number of Venezuelans crossing daily into Brazil has continued to rise.

Foreign ministers from Ecuador, Colombia and possibly Peru and Brazil are expected to meet and discuss Venezuelan migration in Ecuador next week, after top immigration officials met at an earlier summit in Colombia's capital Bogotá.

Where is Venezuela in all this?

Many are blaming Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his socialist government for the dire state the nation is in and the exodus of its citizens.

He blames "imperialists" - the US and Europe - for waging "economic war" against Venezuela and imposing sanctions on many members of his government.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "This is the largest exodus Latin America has experienced" - UNHCR's Chiara Cardoletti

The head of Venezuela's constituent assembly suggested the country's escalating migration crisis was being staged to make the government look bad.

"Doesn't it strike you as suspicious there are photos of [these people] walking along the roadside in Peru, walking along the roadside in Ecuador, walking along the roadside in Colombia," said Diosdado Cabello, according to local media.

"It's as if it was: 'Lights, camera, action!' It's a campaign against our country," Mr Cabello said last week.

On Tuesday, Venezuelan state media reported 89 citizens had been repatriated from Peru after being exploited there.

Critics however called the move a publicity stunt.</s>Brazil announced Tuesday it is sending its army to the border to "guarantee law and order" amid an influx of migrants fleeing crisis-hit Venezuela.

President Michel Temer said in a televised address that Venezuela's "tragic" situation threatened peace in the whole of South America.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled their country due to hyperinflation, and food and medicine shortages.

Brazil's move follows recent border clashes between locals and Venezuelans.

The president signed a decree on Tuesday, which will deploy soldiers for two weeks along the border and federal roads of its northern state of Roraima.

"The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent," Mr Temer said.

In addition to ensuring the security of Brazilians, the soldiers' role is also to look after the Venezuelan migrants' safety, the president stated.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Peru has declared a 60-day health emergency in two provinces on its northern border, after health authorities expressed concerns of the spread of diseases from migrants.

What is happening in Venezuela?

Venezuela is in its fourth year of an economic crisis, brought on by a crash in oil prices in 2014.

Four in five Venezuelans live in poverty, and people queue for hours to buy food while others are dying from a lack of medicine.

This was compounded by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's decision in August to issue a new currency to manage the country's runaway inflation - a move that caused widespread confusion.
• Venezuelan bolivar - what can it buy you?
• 'My baby would have died if I had stayed'

Some 2.3 million citizens have fled the country since 2014, sparking the worst migration crisis in Latin American history, according to the United Nations.

Regional tensions have been stoked, as neighbouring countries struggle to accommodate the exodus of Venezuelans.

The UN's migration agency said last week Venezuela is heading for the same refugee "crisis moment" seen in the Mediterranean in 2015.

What are neighbouring countries doing?

There are more than a million Venezuelans in Colombia, more than half a million in Ecuador, more than 400,000 in Peru and some 60,000 in Brazil.

Brazil has not said how many of its armed forces will be sent to police the border this week.

One minister told journalists that troops were already in place, while another warned Brazil "needs to discipline" the influx of migrants.

This month, Peru began tightening its border by requiring passports instead of national ID cards from Venezuelan migrants.

The first day the new rule was instituted, Peru reported a more than 50% drop in the number of migrants. But hundreds more without passports entered the country by seeking asylum.

Similar regulations were introduced in Ecuador, only to be overturned by a court ruling.

Brazil's northern state of Roraima has also had its attempt to close the border with Venezuela thrown out by a judge.

Violence erupted in the border town of Pacaraima last week when local residents attacked makeshift camps housing Venezuelan migrants. The camps were burned down and the occupants temporarily fled back across the border.

Despite the violence, the number of Venezuelans crossing daily into Brazil has continued to rise.

Foreign ministers from Ecuador, Colombia and possibly Peru and Brazil are expected to meet and discuss Venezuelan migration in Ecuador next week, after top immigration officials met at an earlier summit in Colombia's capital Bogota.

Where is Venezuela in all this?

Many are blaming Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his socialist government for the dire state the nation is in and the exodus of its citizens.

He blames "imperialists" - the US and Europe - for waging "economic war" against Venezuela and imposing sanctions on many members of his government.

The president of Venezuela's constituent assembly however suggested the country's escalating migration crisis was being staged to make the government look bad.

"Doesn't it strike you as suspicious there are photos of [these people] walking along the roadside in Peru, walking along the roadside in Ecuador, walking along the roadside in Colombia," Diosdado Cabello told his party members according to local media.

"It's as if it was: 'Lights, camera, action!' It's a campaign against our country," Mr Cabello said last week.

On Tuesday, Venezuelan state media reported 89 citizens had been repatriated from Peru after being exploited there.</s>SAO PAULO (AP) — In a story Aug. 19 about Venezuelan migrants in a Brazilian border town, The Associated Press reported erroneously that officers sent to the Brazil-Venezuela border are troops. They are members of a military-style police unit, but not part of the military.

A corrected version of the story is below:

The Brazilian government says it plans to members of a military-style police unit to the border town of Pacaraima after residents there attacked Venezuelan migrants

SAO PAULO (AP) — The Brazilian government plans to send members of a military-style police unit to the border town of Pacaraima after residents there attacked Venezuelan migrants.

Government-run news agency Agencia Brasil said Sunday that the Public Security Ministry plans to send at least 60 members of the elite, military-style National Force to Pacaraima. Calls to the ministry for details went unanswered.

Pacaraima is a major border crossing with Venezuela, where economic and political turmoil has driven tens of thousands to cross into Brazil over the past few years.

Authorities have said that Saturday’s violence erupted after a local storeowner was robbed, stabbed and beaten in an assault blamed on four migrants.

Groups of angry residents then roamed the town hurling rocks at the immigrants and setting fire to their belongings.

The army’s Humanitarian Logistics Task Force inn Roraima said Sunday that at least 1,200 immigrants fled Pacaraima to escape the violence and returned to Venezuela.

The Roraima state government estimates that more than 50,000 Venezuelans have crossed the border, occupying already existing shelters or sleeping in tents, plazas and streets. The influx was nearly equal to 10 percent of the state’s population of 520,000 inhabitants.

On Saturday, Claudio Lamachia, president of the Brazilian Bar Association, said that the violence in Pacaraima “exposed the humanitarian drama afflicting our neighbors … who are trying to improve their lives and survive.”

“The state of Roraima does not have the conditions to shelter all the immigrants,” he said.

The crisis has prompted state authorities in recent months to try to limit services to Venezuelans and temporarily shut the border. The federal government and high courts have curtailed attempts to do those things.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>Brazil announced Tuesday it is sending its army to the border to "guarantee law and order" amid an influx of migrants fleeing crisis-hit Venezuela.

President Michel Temer said in a televised address that Venezuela's "tragic" situation threatened peace in the whole of South America.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled their country due to hyperinflation, and food and medicine shortages.

Brazil's move follows recent border clashes between locals and Venezuelans.

The president signed a decree on Tuesday, which will deploy soldiers for two weeks along the border and federal roads of its northern state of Roraima.

"The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent," Mr Temer said.

In addition to ensuring the security of Brazilians, the soldiers' role is also to look after the Venezuelan migrants' safety, the president stated.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Peru has declared a 60-day health emergency in two provinces on its northern border, after health authorities expressed concerns of the spread of diseases from migrants.

What is happening in Venezuela?

Venezuela is in its fourth year of an economic crisis, brought on by a crash in oil prices in 2014.

Four in five Venezuelans live in poverty, and people queue for hours to buy food while others are dying from a lack of medicine.

This was compounded by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's decision in August to issue a new currency to manage the country's runaway inflation - a move that caused widespread confusion.
• Venezuelan bolivar - what can it buy you?
• 'My baby would have died if I had stayed'

Some 2.3 million citizens have fled the country since 2014, sparking the worst migration crisis in Latin American history, according to the United Nations.

Regional tensions have been stoked, as neighbouring countries struggle to accommodate the exodus of Venezuelans.

The UN's migration agency said last week Venezuela is heading for the same refugee "crisis moment" seen in the Mediterranean in 2015.

What are neighbouring countries doing?

There are more than a million Venezuelans in Colombia, more than half a million in Ecuador, more than 400,000 in Peru and some 60,000 in Brazil.

Brazil has not said how many of its armed forces will be sent to police the border this week.

One minister told journalists that troops were already in place, while another warned Brazil "needs to discipline" the influx of migrants.

This month, Peru began tightening its border by requiring passports instead of national ID cards from Venezuelan migrants.

The first day the new rule was instituted, Peru reported a more than 50% drop in the number of migrants. But hundreds more without passports entered the country by seeking asylum.

Similar regulations were introduced in Ecuador, only to be overturned by a court ruling.

Brazil's northern state of Roraima has also had its attempt to close the border with Venezuela thrown out by a judge.

Violence erupted in the border town of Pacaraima last week when local residents attacked makeshift camps housing Venezuelan migrants. The camps were burned down and the occupants temporarily fled back across the border.

Despite the violence, the number of Venezuelans crossing daily into Brazil has continued to rise.

Foreign ministers from Ecuador, Colombia and possibly Peru and Brazil are expected to meet and discuss Venezuelan migration in Ecuador next week, after top immigration officials met at an earlier summit in Colombia's capital Bogota.

Where is Venezuela in all this?

Many are blaming Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his socialist government for the dire state the nation is in and the exodus of its citizens.

He blames "imperialists" - the US and Europe - for waging "economic war" against Venezuela and imposing sanctions on many members of his government.

The president of Venezuela's constituent assembly however suggested the country's escalating migration crisis was being staged to make the government look bad.

"Doesn't it strike you as suspicious there are photos of [these people] walking along the roadside in Peru, walking along the roadside in Ecuador, walking along the roadside in Colombia," Diosdado Cabello told his party members according to local media.

"It's as if it was: 'Lights, camera, action!' It's a campaign against our country," Mr Cabello said last week.

On Tuesday, Venezuelan state media reported 89 citizens had been repatriated from Peru after being exploited there.</s>On Tuesday, the Peruvian authorities reportedly declared a 60-day state of emergency in the areas located at the country's border with Ecuador over the increased threat to public health amid an influx of Venezuelan migrants.

“Today I authorized the use of the armed forces to ensure law and order in the state of Roraima… to ensure the safety of Brazilian citizens and the Venezuelan migrants, who fled their country in search of refuge in Brazil,” Temer said a televised address.

READ MORE: Scholar on Venezuela Economic Measures: Currency Change Won’t Solve the Problem

Venezuela has been struggling with political and economic crises, including a shortage of goods, galloping inflation and a fall in government revenues caused by a decline in oil prices and US sanctions after Washington blocked its investors from buying Venezuelan debt. As a result, many Venezuelans have been seeking asylum in other countries.

Last week, Venezuelan government announced introduction of a new currency, sovereign bolivar, to replace the old one devalued as a result of hyperinflation. There are two currencies in Venezuela — bolivar and oil-backed digital currency petro. At the same time, old money also remain in circulation until they are phased out. The new bolivar is tied to petro, and the central bank will begin to publish the official rates an a daily basis. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has also announced a 60-fold increase of the minimum wage, which now amounts to 1,800 denominated bolivars, or half the cost of one petro.

However, according to the forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the inflation in Venezuela may reach 1 million percent by the end of 2018.

READ MORE: Peru Declares Emergency at Border Over Venezuelan Migrants Influx — Reports</s>Brazil President Michel Temer signed a decree Tuesday to send the army to "guarantee law and order" on the border with crisis-hit Venezuela after recent violent clashes.

Earlier this month, more than a thousand homeless Venezuelan immigrants who had flooded over the border into Brazil's northwestern Roraima state were driven back by an angry mob that rampaged through their makeshift tent following rumours a local shopkeeper had been brutally beaten by migrants.

Temer said his measure was aimed at providing "security for Brazilian citizens but also Venezuelan immigrants fleeing their country."

He also branded Venezuela's crisis as "tragic," saying it "threatens the harmony of practically the entire continent."

Temer called on "the international community to adopt diplomatic measures" to halt the Venezuelan exodus, as economic and political crises under President Nicolas Maduro's regime drive hundreds of thousands to leave in hope of finding a better life elsewhere.

The United Nations says some 2.3 million Venezuelans are living outside their homeland, with 1.6 million of those having left since 2015.

Oil-rich but over-reliant, Venezuela is in a fourth year of recession brought on by a crash in oil prices in 2014. Some 96 percent of the country's revenue is generated through crude.

Temer didn't reveal how many soldiers would be deployed to Roraima, but Defense Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna said "troops are already in place" on the border.

Security Minister Sergio Etchegoyen warned that Brazil "needs to discipline" the influx of migrants.</s>Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to deploy the Armed Forces to the northern state of Roraima on the border with Venezuela to assist in keeping order and ensuring the safety of Venezuelan immigrants.

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to deploy the Armed Forces to the northern state of Roraima on the border with Venezuela to assist in keeping order and ensuring the safety of Venezuelan immigrants.

Temer blamed Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro for an exodus of Venezuelans that has caused an immigration crisis spilling over the border into neighbouring countries.

"The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent," Temer said in a televised address.</s>BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to deploy the Armed Forces to the northern state of Roraima on the border with Venezuela to assist in keeping order and ensuring the safety of Venezuelan immigrants.

Temer blamed Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro for an exodus of Venezuelans that has caused an immigration crisis spilling over the border into neighboring countries.

“The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent,” Temer said in a televised address.
The Brazilian government sends armed forces to be stationed along its Venezuelan border for two weeks, due to a large increase in migrants from Venezuela.