UN agencies warns dangerous Darién jungle crossings, calls for safe migration pathways

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau

UNITED NATIONS, 3rd Aug. UN agencies said on Wednesday that record numbers of migrants are crossing the Darién jungle in Latin America in a desperate and perilous journey as far off as Nepal and Afghanistan, highlighted the need for a safe and regular pathways.

UN International Organization for Migration said that crossing the Darién jungle on the border between Colombia and Panama and its infamous and so-called Darién Gap is an arduous undertaking, involved hikes over steep mountains, enduring torrential rain and fording swift rivers. Those on the move are also at risk of robbery and rape.

The agency said the dangerous journey speaks of not only the desperation but also the determination of those seeking a better life, or escaping violence and persecution,.

Michele Klein Solomon, IOM Regional Director for Central and North America and the Caribbean highlighted the urgent need for updating migration systems and a unified and human rights-based response to prevent future tragedies.

According to figures from the Government of Panama over 250,000 people crossed the jungle on foot in the first seven months of 2023, matched the total number for the whole of 2022, which was the highest annual figure recorded.

Those crossing the jungle are individuals from Venezuela (55 per cent), Haiti (14 per cent), and Ecuador (14 per cent), as well as individuals from Colombia, Peru and children of Haitian parents born in Chile and Brazil, IOM reported.

There are people from as far off as China, Afghanistan and Nepal, which is almost 10,000 miles, or 16,000 kilometres, away, IOM stated.

IOM and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are working with national authorities, host communities and other organizations to provide humanitarian and protection assistance.

José Samaniego, UNHCR Regional Director, said that UN agencies are stepping up their activities to address the urgent needs of refugees and migrants, critical support in areas such as food, shelter and medical care.

Both IOM and UNHCR urged a collaborative, comprehensive and regional approach to better respond to humanitarian and protection needs of people on the move in Latin America and the Caribbean.