The number of migrants and refugees crossing the Darien jungle is multiplied by six

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned this Friday of the worrying increase in people crossing the Darien jungle in search of protection and opportunities.

According to the Panamanian authorities, during the first months of the year more than 100,000 people undertook the route through this dangerous jungle that marks the border between Panama and Colombia, six times more than those who arrived in the same period of 2022. If the trend continues, it is estimated that more than 400,000 people they could travel this dangerous path throughout 2023.

By country, the largest number of people who crossed the Darién jungle corresponds to nationals of Venezuela (30,250), followed by those of Haiti (23,640) and those of Ecuador (14,237), in addition to people from China (3,855). and India (2,543), the children of Haitians born in Chile (2,499) and Brazil (2,072), among other nationalities.

The latest monthly monitoring reports from both organizations report that people who leave their country originally they do it for financial reasons, among them the lack of employment. More than half of the people fled their countries due to high levels of insecurity or threatsas well as specific attacks against them and their families.

At the same time, three quarters of the people surveyed suffered injuries or accidents during the trip, and one third suffered some type of mistreatment or abuse, specifically during the crossing of the jungle.

Prioritize a regional response

The UNHCR representative in Panama, Philippa Candler, pointed out that “the dangers and levels of violence faced by people who cross the Darién are highly worrying. “Is urgent work on a regional solution based on protection to respond to this unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Americas,” he added.

For his part, the representative of the IOMGiuseppe Loprete, stressed that the stories heard show the horrors that it entails for entire families to cross the Darién.

“Many have lost their lives or disappeared while others have made it through, but now have significant health problems. Us worries that the people What are you thinking of doing this journey? are not aware of the dangers associated with this route”, he assured.

UN aid

On the borders with Colombia and Costa Rica, the refugee agency supports the government’s response by informing about asylum procedures in the country, the risks involved in traveling north, offers psychosocial support and provides accommodation and basic necessities to those who need it.

The migration agency provides food, basic necessities and health services; management and coordination of temporary accommodation; and the implementation of communication campaigns to inform about the risks associated with irregular migration.

Both the two UN agencies will continue to support the national, regional and hemispheric efforts of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protectionwith the aim of strengthening the necessary frameworks for international protection and access to fair and efficient asylum procedures, as well as fostering the conditions for safe, orderly, humane and regular migration.