1,000 migrants daily crossing Darien Gap
The 575,000 hectares, of Darién jungle between Colombia and Panama, saw 31,055 irregular migrants pass through in August says The National Migration Service In total, the country reports 102,067 migrants who entered through the Darien Gap between January and August 2022, while, in the same period of 2021, the records reflect 70,361.
The Migration Service report details that of the 102,067 walkers who crossed the jungle 25.1% are women. Meanwhile, and14,571 are minors.
For organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in this dense tropical forest, migrant families with children are particularly exposed to violence, including sexual assault, human trafficking, and extortion by criminal gangs. In addition, children crossing the Darién jungle are also at risk of contracting diarrhea, respiratory illnesses, dehydration, and other ailments that require immediate attention.
On August 30, the National Border System reported that its agents apprehended Venezuelan, after being identified by a group of 15 migrants, including eight minors, as an alleged “coyote” and leaving them abandoned in the jungle. The migrants were transferred to a safe port, while the Venezuelan was placed under the order of the competent authority for the alleged crime of migrant smuggling.
Three days earlier, the same entity reported that they detected a boat in which migrants were traveling towards Caledonia, in the Guna Yala region.
The crew of the boat, noticing the presence of the agents, fled toward the coast. during the police action two citizens of Venezuelan nationality were rescued, including a minor. Senafront maintains operations in Puerto Obaldía, to find the whereabouts of those involved in the human trafficking.
Increasing flow
According to Unicef, by the end of 2022, at least 160,000 migrants are expected to transit through the Darien jungle, including at least 32,000 children and adolescents and some 500 pregnant women.
