Humanitarian convoy heading to capital faces hiccups

Producers from Chiriqui left at on Wednesday, July 20,  in a 100-truck caravan, with nearly 50,000 quintals of different merchandise to supply the national market.

However, at about 7:50 am this caravan was stranded in the Horconcitos sector, where a closure by indigenous groups has been recorded for days.

Talks were held, with the aim of allowing the transit of trucks with food. An agreement was reached and at noon the road was reopened.

Spokesmen for the indigenous people announced that this point of the Inter-American highway would be open until 3:00 pm today, but other blockades remain in Chiriqui East.

After 1:00 pm it was reported that the caravan had already passed through the San Félix area. However, as of 5:00 pm, they had not yet left Chiriquí, due to the constant closures on the Interamerican highway.

“It is a sin to let food go to waste and that it is being lost in the field,” said producer Augusto Jiménez.

Jiménez acknowledged that the transfer will not be easy, however, he asked the different groups of protesters for support so that they can reach their destinations.

He said that the vegetables are fresh and of good quality “and we cannot afford to lose them.”

However, at about 7:50 am this caravan was stranded in the Horconcitos sector, where a closure by indigenous groups has been recorded for days.

In the course of the morning, talks were held with the aim of allowing the transit of trucks with food. An agreement was reached and at noon the road in Horconcitos was reopened.

Spokesmen for the indigenous people announced that this point of the Inter-American highway would be open until 3:00 pm but other blockades remain along the Chiriqui-east.

After 1:00 pm it was reported that the caravan had already passed through the San Félix area. However, as of 5:00 pm, they had not yet left Chiriquí, due to closures on the Interamerican highway.

“It is a sin to let food go to waste and that it is being lost in the field,” said producer Augusto Jiménez.

Jaime Caballero, leader of the Single Union of Construction and Related Workers in Chiriquí, reported that the transfer of these trucks was coordinated at the different closure points, to allow the passage of the humanitarian caravan.

Caballero said that, despite the previous coordination, everything was complicated after the events that occurred yesterday, Tuesday, in Santiago, where there were clashes between protesters and riot police.