- The Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, considered that international organizations have not given a “strong response” to this situation. Main photo: @NoticiasOnu (X)
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, described the migration of Venezuelans as a “tragedy” due to the political instability in the country.
“The increasing degradation of its institutional system has caused the dislocation of 8 million Venezuelans (…) This figure represents a true migratory tragedy to which international organizations have not given a forceful and credible response over the years,” He stated in his speech at the United Nations (UN) on Thursday, September 26.
Additionally, Mulino questioned that the government of Nicolás Maduro did not present the minutes of the presidential elections held on July 28.
“Awarding a victory without showing the minutes is like trying to win a trial without presenting evidence. “Wanting to win without showing the results is the same as losing and not accepting the results,” he added.
The Panamanian president assured that after these actions Maduro has lost the “livelihood” of his defenders in the region.
The passage through the Darién jungle an “inhuman journey”
Mulino stated that the social drama of what the Darién jungle, the border between Colombia and Panama, means, generates “immense pain.” Mulino described this route, traveled by women, children and older adults, as an “inhuman journey.”
According to the Panamanian president, the passage through the Darién is controlled by “criminal organizations, based in neighboring countries” that receive money to profit from “the need and hope of thousands of human beings.”
“Awarding a victory without showing the minutes is like trying to win a trial without presenting evidence”
The president of Panama @JoseRaulMulino says that “institutional degradation” in Venezuela is one of the causes of mass migration through the Darién pic.twitter.com/7LUfGB9HM7
—UN News (@NoticiasONU) September 25, 2024
“I ask you to see the magnitude of what is happening, because we feel that we do not have all the international support that corresponds to confront a situation that is so distressing from a humanitarian point of view, so costly financially, so risky for our security and so alarming due to the environmental devastation it leaves us,” he stated.
In August 2024, the National Immigration Service of Panama (SNM) indicated that Venezuelans continue to lead the nationalities of migrants in transit, with a total of 3,318 people who crossed the jungle in the first days of August.
Panama warned of an increase in migration if the situation in Venezuela worsens
On July 25, 2024, three days before the elections in Venezuela, Mulino warned that if the political situation in Venezuela worsened after the July 28 elections, would increase the migratory flow through the Darién jungle in a “very short term”.
“If the situation (in Venezuela after the elections) improves, then it can be deduced that many fewer people will want to venture into that risk of transit through that jungle (of the Darién). If the political situation worsens, in another scenario, let’s prepare because that (the migratory flow) is going to increase in a very short term,” he stated in a press conference.
According to the government of Panama, 66% of the migrants who cross the Darien are Venezuelans.
Panama tries to reduce migration through the jungle. Since Mulino came to power, several measures have been taken such as the installation of ““perimeter barriers” (barbed fences) in some points of the Darién to close unauthorized passages and “channel” the flow.
In addition, the Panamanian government signed an agreement with the United States to return migrants crossing the Darien jungle to Colombia by plane.
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2024-09-28 11:27:08
