Through the 100 kilometers of tropical jungle that separate Colombia from Panama, during the first half of 2023 alone, an average of a quarter of a million migrants crossed, the same number as in all of 2022. In comparison, 60,000 people risked themselves in the Mediterranean Sea. in the same period. The goal of the thousands of people who dare to make the crossing through the Darién is to reach the United States. This path, which they themselves admit is a desperate measure, forces them to travel through a jungle full of dangers and obtain at least $500 that the crossing costs.
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The route to reach Panama begins in Necoclí, a municipality that is part of the Urabá region, in the northwest of Colombia, where thousands of migrants, both adults and minors, meet every day, some without any company.
In the first four months of 2023, more than 25,000 children crossed the Darién alone or with their families, eight times more compared to 2022.
24% of people who cross the Darién are Venezuelans who could not cover the cost of the passport from their country – they assure that the value is so high that it is absolutely impossible to pay for it. But Ecuadorians, Haitians, Afghans, Chinese or Somalis also cross.
More than 10,000 migrants stay for months at the point of Necoclí, waiting to have the money to cross by boat to the Gulf of Urabá, since the price of the ticket ranges between 200 and 400 dollars.
Already in the Gulf of Urabá, the gateway to the Plug of the Darien, They begin an eight-hour walk until they reach a camp that is just seven minutes from the border with Panama.
During the journey, the majority of migrants encounter paramilitary groups who must be paid to let them pass.
The next phase, for those who manage to pay the fee to cross to Panama, begins with a six and a half hour journey upriver to the Come Gallina area. According to authorities, in 2018 around 258 immigrants died while crossing the river. Because of this deadly risk, Panama, Colombia and the United States have been trying to stop migration in the Darien for years.
Finally, in a small hamlet called Bajo Chiquito, 45 minutes downriver and after an exhausting journey, in which food is scarce, the migrants find first aid stations, a state control point and an internet service, which residents of The area offers one dollar for a 20-minute connection. There, those who manage to cross communicate with their families.
In Lajas Blancas, the last stop, the United Nations (UN) set up a refugee camp, where the local police provide migrants with buses that take them to the border with Costa for a price of $40. Rica, one of the five that you have to cross to get to the United States.
Crossing the Darien Gap, which is only the first phase of their journey to the United States, costs migrants nearly $500 and assumes a series of deadly risks in the jungle.
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