Donkey Route and Nicaragua

• 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.