Colombian Ombudsman warns of humanitarian consequences of closing Darien passes

Bogotá, Jul (EFE).- Colombia’s acting ombudsman, Julio Luis Balanta Mina, warned on Friday of the humanitarian consequences of the Panamanian government ordering the closure of several border crossings in the Darien jungle, which divides Colombia from Panama and is a dangerous passage for migration, demanding that it is urgent to take into account the health risks for migrants.

“We urge the national government to request that the Panamanian authorities observe and be aware of the importance of the principles of international human rights law,” said Balanta, who insisted on the need to offer international protection to migrants.

He also clarified that special attention must be paid to aspects such as “the satisfaction of basic needs and guarantees of non-refoulement of migrants eligible for asylum and in need of international protection.”

Last Friday, during a tour of Darien prior to his inauguration, the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, announced the placement of “cone fences” with “the hope that people take the only route to get here, not scattered,” in addition to the police presence in some areas of that jungle.

Thus, on Wednesday, the National Border Service (Senafront) of Panama closed three of the crossings that migrants use to leave this dangerous and mountainous jungle, through which they spend days trying to cross, exposed to hunger, lack of drinking water, inclement weather and wildlife, but also to criminal gangs and armed groups that control it.

The closure of these crossings or ‘trails’ occurs in the midst of a large flow of migrants through the Darién, through which more than 195,000 people have crossed this year, most of them Venezuelans, but also Ecuadorians and Chinese, while in 2023 there were more than 520,000, an unprecedented figure, according to official data.

Two months ago, the Ombudsman’s Office published an analytical study in which it simulated the closure of the Darien Gap and its humanitarian impact, placing the right to health on serious alert, as 502 health complaints were registered between January 2020 and April 2024.

This document was published before Mulino was sworn in, when he announced his intention to “close” the passage of migrants through the Darien jungle, something complicated, since it is a large natural barrier of more than 500,000 hectares shared by Colombia and Panama and is the only point on the American continent not crossed by the Pan-American Highway or any other road.

The ombudsman added in a video shared by the institution that immigration authorities must take action from a “humanitarian approach” without distinguishing between “nationality, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, race, religion, language or any other condition,” urging that actions be carried out in a “safe, orderly, regular manner and respecting the conditions of human dignity.”

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