The 10 dangers of crossing the Darien, the “green hell” of the Americas

The Darién is a jungle and swampy region located on the border between Colombia and Panama. It is known as “Cap” because it interrupts what is considered the longest highway in the world: the Pan-American Highway.

Crossing it means walking just over 100 kilometers between the northeast of Colombia and the southwest of Panama. It is the path of thousands of migrants.

It has been a World Heritage Site since 1981, but today it is, more than ever, a route for illegal migrants from the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia who aspire to reach Northern countries, such as the United States and Canada.

More than 133,000 people crossed it last year for immigration purposes. It is estimated that nearly 50,000 nationals from Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela, among others, entered the jungle between January and June of this year to reach Panama.

The jungle, a natural wall of 575,000 hectares of dense vegetation, is capable of turning a migrant’s dream into a true “green hell”.

The Decalogue of Risks in Darien

1. The mafias

Authorities, migrants and local residents certify the presence in the Darién of criminal groups of different nature. There are gangs dedicated to drug trafficking, others to smuggling, and there are guerrillas and paramilitaries.

These groups often steal migrants’ belongings and food. They usually attack those who cross the Darién through territories of their domain.

2. Illnesses and injuries

Contracting diseases in the Darién can be a death sentence, miles away from health centers and towns.

The bites of mosquitoes or insects capable of transmitting diseases such as malaria or dengue are a latent risk.

People are exposed to skin injuries from bites and sprains or fractures from long walks on wet and slippery floors.

Heat, long walks, dehydration, and food deprivation can lead to extreme fatigue, hyperventilation, weakness, and cardiorespiratory failure. Also, cases of hypothermia are reported.

The consumption of contaminated water is a frequent cause of stomach discomfort.

Humid weather opens the door for colds, as well as cuts or scrapes to the lower extremities, despite the use of boots or proper clothing.

Doctors Without Borders has also warned of the traumatic psychological consequences among migrants treated after crossing the Darién.

3. Animals

Hundreds of species of animals and insects inhabit the Darien jungle.

Environmentalists and witnesses report the existence of snakes, scorpions, jaguars, pumas, tigrillos, “manos” or wild pigs, foxes and bush dogs.

There are spiders up to 20 centimeters in size.

The Darien is home to the conga, a giant ant whose venom inflames limbs, causes fever and diarrhea, as it contains a neurotoxin that attacks the nervous system.

Up to 25% of the plants and animals in the Darién are unique species, according to experts.

4. Sexual violence

Between 10 and 15 percent of the migrants who cross the Darién Gap experience sexual violence on that journey, according to the Red Cross of Panama.

The Doctors Without Borders organization has documented up to 400 cases of sexual abuse against migrants in the Darién since April 2021.

Children, adolescents, women and men are among those who have suffered sexual violence on their way through the jungle.

5. The rivers

There are at least four rivers that complicate the transit of people in those tens of kilometers between Colombia and Panama in the Darién.

Its currents can become very strong in some sections.

Migrants often cross them on foot or clinging to a rope.

The slightest misstep or slip can end with the person being swept downstream.

The rainy season aggravates the fierceness of the flows.

There is a crossing that is so dangerous and where so many people have died that the migrants and guides baptized it “El Río Muerte”. It is the Turquesa River, where the corpses of those who have drowned in the Darién usually appear.

6. The “Guides”

There are plenty of testimonies from migrants who hire guides, who know the ways to travel and reach the Panamanian border.

Some of them leave migrants stranded at some point or give them instructions that end up being false, such as waiting at a certain point for a boat or another guide that never arrives.

People dedicated to human trafficking in the Darién are colloquially known as “chilingueros”. Most of them belong to community councils and claim that they provide a service that is not illegal.

Panamanian authorities have denounced that clans charge between 40 and 50 dollars per migrant they help to cross the Darién.

7. The rain

The risks of the Darién Gap are made worse by frequent downpours.

It is estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 millimeters of water per year fall in this forest.

The rains make long walks difficult, make the rivers rage, moisten the soil and make it difficult to see, as well as interrupt breaks.

8. Losses

The wanderings of those who travel through the Darién without a guide or with one without experience can go from anguish to fatality.

The denseness of the jungle prevents seeing where the sun rises or hides.

Walking there without a compass or GPS is impossible, according to migrants.

A vegetation as dense as it is similar means that the reference points are few. The locals advise not to touch the clothes or belongings abandoned by the migrants to serve as a guide in order to avoid getting lost or walking in a circle.

9. Deportation and waiting

Crossing the Darién is not a guarantee of entry into Panama, although human rights organizations call on the authorities to protect migrants in transit.

Deportation is a possibility for those who migrate irregularly through the Darién Gap, although the Panamanian government claims to guarantee the care and mobilization of hundreds of migrants so that they “continue their journey.”

In addition, the wait at four immigration reception stations (three in Panama and one in Costa Rica) for those who report the disappearance or death of a family member in the Darién can take weeks, if not months, according to testimonies.

In June, it was reported that 6,500 migrants had seen their transit affected and were stranded as a result of a national strike in Panama.

10. More borders

The migrant’s path that crosses the Darién does not end in Panama. Most of the cases are of people who want to reach the United States and, to do so, they follow their way through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.

Those nations demand visas from Venezuelans, for example. This demand leads them to look for illegal routes at the hands of “coyotes” or human traffickers.

The Darién ends up being the most notorious of other no less dangerous points of illegal migration in the Americas. The arrival in the United States without visas is done with illegal dealings with people dedicated to human trafficking (coyotes).

That new frontier means crossing the desert in Sonora, Mexico, or the Rio Grande in Tamaulipas. There, there is a risk of sexual abuse, robbery, violence, human trafficking and even denial of asylum by the United States government.

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