9,000  Panama-bound migrants collapse Colombia town

EFE – The Colombian municipality of Necoclí, which is part of the Antioquia department (northwest), is collapsing under  the of  strain an unprecedented migration crisis and for with some 9,000,  people, mostly Haitians, seeking to reach Panama on their way to North America.

The mayor of this town of about 40,000 inhabitants, José Augusto Tobón, has decreed a public calamity and asked the National Government for help in the face of a situation that exceeds the capacities of the local authorities.

The official told the media that it is “the worst crisis in the history” of his municipality because thousands of migrants have not been able to buy tickets to continue on their way to Panama.

The migrants seek to reach other coastal areas by boat in order to enter the Darien Gap, the dangerous border jungle between Panama and Colombia, and continue on their way to North America.

“They have collapsed the health, public services, and food systems. We do not know what will happen to us, we have a health emergency because these people are not vaccinated and we are still under the effects of the covid,” Tobón said.