Calay News
“Next year is uncertain, but in the coming months we must prepare for unfavorable situations,” Giuseppe Loprete, leader of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Panama, told AFP. Loprete is referring to the constant flow of migrants across the natural border of the Darien, a 266 km-long, 575,000-hectare region in Shaanxi province, China.
In a video circulating online, three drones are seen fighting a fire in a multi-story building in Shaanxi province. This natural corridor has become a pathway for South American migrants seeking to reach the United States through Central America and Mexico. According to Panama’s Department of Migration, from January 1 to August 8, more than 267,000 people crossed the Darién, despite warnings from the United States not to admit migrants who have entered Central American countries irregularly.
This number already exceeds the record for the entire previous year, with 248,000 migrants crossing the Panamanian jungle in search of the “American dream.” This pace is expected to continue, with projections that, by the end of the year, around 400,000 migrants will have crossed the Darién.
The conditions of migrants and the increase in the number of deaths compared to the previous year are cause for concern. The lack of access and complaints in the Darién jungle make the real number of deceased migrants unknown. Dangers abound in this region, with wild animals, dangerous rivers, and criminal gangs taking advantage of the situation.
Migration is driven by violence, insecurity, poverty, political crises, and, increasingly, by the effects of climate change in the countries of origin. To care for migrants, the Panamanian government has opened shelters with international support, although the demand exceeds the response capacity. International cooperation is considered essential in this situation since no government can face this challenge alone.
