Donkey Route and Nicaragua
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- Context (IE | TH): The recent episode of Indians on a Nicaraguan flight is suspected to be another instance of the donkey route.
About the ‘Donkey Route’
- ‘Dunki’ (Punjabi pronunciation of a donkey) means “hopping from one place to another”.
- Several illegal immigrants take such routes to reach countries like the US, the UK or Europe.
India to Latin America
- India’s most popular donkey route starts by reaching Latin American countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela.
- These countries provide visas on arrival for Indians or pre-arrival tourist visas.
- Immigrants from Latin American countries are taken to Colombia.
Columbia to Mexico to U.S.
- From Columbia, immigrants move through the dense forest of the Darian Gap in Panama.
- Lack of water, wild animals, criminal gangs, robbery, and rape are risks immigrants take on this route.
- An alternate, safer route is from San Andrés to Mexico through illegal boats.
- Immigrants enter the US from Mexico through Guatemala as the main junction.
- Migrants must cross the US-Mexico border fencing or take the dangerous Rio Grande River route.
Republic of Nicaragua
- Capital: Managua; Lanuage: Spanish
- It is a Central American nation with mountains and fertile valleys in the west.
- Two big lakes, Nicaragua and Managua, are connected by the Tipitapa River.
- The Pacific coast is volcanic and very fertile.
- The swampy Caribbean coast is aptly called the “Mosquito Coast” due to the presence of mosquitos.
Nicaragua on the Doneky route
- Nicaragua has very little consular presence worldwide, with no embassy in India.
- The honorary consular of Nicaragua in India is not authorised to issue any visa.
- There is no provision for getting an advance visa or visa-on-arrival for Nicaragua from India.
- Even the Nicaraguan government has not spelt out the policy in the public domain.