Panama launches campaign to attack organizations that traffic migrants

The security authorities of Panama launched on Friday the so-called “Shield” campaign, which seeks to attack by air, land and sea transnational organizations dedicated to migrant smuggling in the Darien jungle, a flow that registers record numbers so far this year.

This is one of the first concrete efforts after the Central American country, Colombia and the United States agreed to launch an ambitious campaign in April in an attempt to curb massive irregular migration through that dangerous area.

The Panamanian Security Minister, Juan Manuel Pino, said during an act at the air base in this town in the province of Darién, on the border with Colombia, that the operation involves the mobilization of helicopters donated by the United States in critical points or widely used by migrants and “reinforce the border cordon”. Around 1,200 agents from the migration services, the border police and the air-naval service will participate in the operation, in addition to agents from the Public Ministry.

Panama announced the action at a time when it continues to try to draw international attention to the dangers of crossing the Dariénwhere gangs of migrant, arms and controlled drug traffickers operate, according to the authorities, by the Colombian drug cartelgulf clanbut also groups from both countries that rob and sexually assault foreigners.

The day before, Panamanian security authorities reported the death over the weekend of three armed individuals who allegedly robbed migrants in the Darien jungle during a clash with border police.

The operation also takes place when almost 170,000 migrants have already crossed the Darién in the first four months of the year, five times more than those who transited in the same period of 2022, despite the intention of the governments of Panama and the United States, among others. others, for discouraging this migration. The authorities also reported that so far this year at least 24 bodies of presumed migrants have been rescued on that route, while there are reports of some 40 missing persons.

“This is an action and initiative of the Panamanian State against criminals who are making fortunes with human pain,” Pino said in an aside with The Associated Press. “Police forces of Panama are going to increase what is the territorial control of the border due to the increase in crimes.”

The minister rejected that the Darién is being militarized, while he assured that he does not see a closure of its porous 260-kilometer border with Colombia on the horizon.

Pino explained that six helicopters and boats donated by the United States that have been used in humanitarian operations and in the fight against drugs will be used in the campaign, in addition to receiving collaboration from that country in security teams and intelligence information. He assured, however, that there is no US military participating in the efforts to curb migration at that border point.

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