Jonatan Rosas/TNH
Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility did not respond to questions by the time of publication. But Magda Medina, UNHCR’s deputy representative in Ecuador, told TNH via email, “Our mandate is to support states in protecting and seeking durable solutions for refugees.”
Medina said humanitarian cash aid is only a small part of the support UNHCR offers people in situations of extreme vulnerability – something the organisation has had to increase during the pandemic as many more refugees and migrants have been put in such situations.
After Ecuador went into a strict lockdown in March – which included a national state of emergency and a 2pm curfew that lasted over two months – Ana said many Colombian refugees who did have jobs, or informal food stands in the street, were fired or forced to close.