Colombia will continue to work hand in hand with the United States and Panama to confront the crisis that is being experienced in the Darién area from a perspective that addresses, among other things, the deep causes that are causing the tide of migrants in this border area.
(Also read: Politicians would be profiting from the migratory crisis in the Darién, according to the New York Times)
That is what the Colombian Ambassador in Washington, Luis Gilberto Murillo, told this newspaper, in reference to an explosive report in the New York Times, according to which politicians, businessmen and regional leaders would be profiting from the trafficking of migrants who seek to cross the dangerous jungle area on its way to the US
“We continue to work closely with the United States and Panama, in a bilateral and trilateral approach, to address the causes that have generated the crisis in Darién through additional investments, legal migration routes and regional convergence, a pillar of our Development Plan. “said the ambassador.
According to the diplomat, “Colombia has made great efforts to welcome the migrant community, and now, together with the international community, we must redouble our efforts to improve the conditions of the receiving communities.”
(Also read: Why does the so-called Darién Gap set off alarm bells in the United States?)
The ambassador also emphasized that there is an urgent need to invest in lasting solutions that allow young people to be kept away from criminal networks that operate in historically neglected regions and that would also be taking advantage of the migrant drama.
The Times report is the result of months of investigation by a team of journalists who traveled to the area and interviewed migrants, public authorities and elected officials themselves and members of community action groups.
According to the Times, there are several people who “pursue the migratory bonanza” in Darién and its surrounding municipalities. Including former councilors, mayoral candidates and other politicians in Necoclí or Acandí.
The business, says the American newspaper, has reached such a point that today there are companies that organize guides for migrants, boatmen and even people who carry travelers’ bags.
(Also read: Two dead in a clash between soldiers and miners on the border between Colombia and Venezuela)
This is the case of the Nueva Luz del Darién Social Foundation, managed, according to the Times, by elected leaders of the community action boards of the area and which has brought together more than 2,000 local guides and carriers of suitcases and bags for migrants. Added to this is the case of a mayoral candidate who leads a boat company for the transportation of migrants.
The newspaper titled the report saying that the migrants’ experience is similar to a trip to Disneyworld since they are given different colored handles depending on the type of “package” they have purchased to cross the jungle and that in some cases it includes “Premium” options. “where people’s luggage is loaded and includes other benefits.
The issue, in any case, has begun to cause concern in the US, where it was already the subject of debate in Congress and the cause of a visit to the area by a delegation of senior officials from the Biden administration a few days ago.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
On Twitter @sergom68
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