- The NGO is doing a “medical tour” at the Lajas Blancas migrant shelter from this month of October until December 15 | Photo: EFE
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has “resumed” its humanitarian work to care for migrants crossing the Darién jungle, the natural border between Panama and Colombia, thanks to a three-month permit given by the Panamanian authorities, after earlier this year they were forced to stop operations.
The NGO has been doing a “medical tour” at the Lajas Blancas migrant shelter in Darién from this month of October until December 15, after the Panamanian authorities approved the permit in September, it stated on Thursday, December 9. an MSF source told EFE in October, who requested anonymity.
EFE witnessed the presence of MSF workers in the Lajas Blancas migrant facility.
“For now we only have permission for a three-month medical tour,” the source stated. In early 2024, the Panamanian government denied MSF a renewal of its permit, claiming that they were not following their protocols when reporting on the rape victims they treated.
They are working on extending the permit
Doctors Without Borders is also negotiating with the Panamanian authorities to extend its permit to operate in Darién not only with the “migrant population, but also with the local population” and that these “conversations are in the spirit of collaboration with the Ministry of Health.”
Doctors Without Borders suspended its work caring for migrants at the exit of the dangerous Darien jungle last March after a bilateral agreement expired and the NGO reported an exponential increase in rapes of migrants in the jungle.
That same source told EFE that since March – when their activities were suspended – they have been “continuously in talks with the authorities” of Panama.
MSF welcomes the decision and advocates working closely with the Ministry of Health of Panama to provide comprehensive medical care to migrants crossing this route, as well as the local population living in this area. From January 2023 to February 2024, MSF provided more than 72,700 medical services in Darién,” the NGO added in a written statement sent to EFE.
Cancellation of activities
The cancellation of its activities by the Panamanian authorities occurred days after the organization warned in a report about the “extraordinary violence” suffered by migrants in the Darién, where on average, every month, its medical teams provided care in physical and psychological health to almost 5,000 people, “with special emphasis on survivors of sexual violence.”
In 2023, MSF registered 676 migrants who had received comprehensive medical care after suffering an act of sexual violence on the migratory route, and in January 2024 alone it had registered 120 more cases.
The Panamanian government at that time – under the presidency of former president Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024) – harshly accused Doctors Without Borders of hindering the work of judicial and health institutions by refusing to provide the necessary information on migrants possibly victims of violations during their journey.
So far this year, more than 266,000 migrants have crossed through the Darien jungle on their way to North America in search of better living conditions.
However, there has been a reduction in the number of migrants, which is expected to fall sharply compared to last year’s all-time record of 520,000. Panamanian authorities link this decrease to their new migration policies to reduce the flow, such as closing unauthorized crossings and returns by plane thanks to an agreement with the United States.
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, said this Thursday that, at least for his part, Doctors Without Borders can return to the country to care for migrants crossing the Darién “with due coordination.”
“I honestly don’t know, I haven’t seen any request in this regard (to reactivate their work in Darién). I also don’t know why they were excluded from the country, for me they can come as appropriate, with due coordination with the Ministry of Health or Security,” said the Panamanian president in his weekly press conference.
With information from EFE
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