- 10 migrants drowned near Panama-Colombia border
- Bodies found in Carreto village riverbed
- Rainy season increases migration route risks
Ten individuals have perished in a river near Panama’s border with Colombia, according to Panamanian border police, as the rainy season heightens the risks for migrants and asylum seekers along a standard migration route.
The bodies were discovered in riverbed tributaries near the rural Carreto village, according to the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) on Wednesday.
The town is located on the Caribbean Sea and is part of the Guna Yala Autonomous Indigenous Territory.
SENAFRONT did not indicate the nationalities of those who drowned or whether they entered Panama via the Darien Gap rainforest or by boat.
Transnational organized crime, through local accomplices in these Caribbean coastal towns, insists on exploiting unlawful crossings, endangering these people’s lives, according to the agency.
The Darien Gap, which connects South and Central America, is a difficult passage with natural perils such as insects, snakes, and unexpected terrain.
Its topography varies from steep mountains to deep jungles and mighty rivers, with risks increasing during the rainy season due to rising river levels.
Criminal organizations also operate in the area, and robberies, extortion, and other acts of violence are common.
Despite these risks, it has become a popular route for migrants and asylum seekers fleeing violence, economic crises, and other problems in their native countries. Many people want to move north to reach the United States.
According to Panama’s government estimates, over 520,000 migrants and asylum seekers entered the Darien Gap last year, more than doubling the total from 2022.
More than 60% of individuals who crossed in 2023 came from Venezuela, which has seen a massive migration following years of socioeconomic and political instability. Others came from countries in South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa.
Human Rights Watch reported in April that Colombia and Panama have failed to protect people transiting through the Darien Gap or to investigate violations, including sexual violence, appropriately.
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“Colombian and Panamanian authorities can and should do more to ensure the rights of migrants and asylum seekers crossing their countries, as well as local communities that have experienced years of neglect,” said Juanita Goebertus, the group’s Americas director at the time.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino stated this month that migrants entering the country through the Darien Gap will only be returned to their home countries if they consent.
Mulino, who assumed office on July 1, promised to stem the increasing influx of migrants entering Panama from Colombia and struck an agreement with the US government to fund repatriation flights.
“This is a United States problem that we are addressing. People do not wish to live here in Panama. “They want to go to the United States,” he declared at his first weekly news conference on July 18.
If migrants do not want to return to their home countries, “they will go [to the United States].” I cannot arrest them. “We cannot forcibly return them,” the president stated.
