The many times postponed transfer of an indigenous community from a small island in the Panamanian Caribbean to the mainland finally officially began this Monday, a move that has the support of the Government and that the local population celebrated after seeing forced to leave their home due to overcrowding and rising sea levels due to the climate crisis.
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“Today is a day of celebration for our community,” said shayla (Guna indigenous chief) José Deivis in his native language at an official press conference from the Gardi Sugdub island, in the Guna Yala region, in the Panamanian Caribbean. with the presence of authorities.
“I am very happy and happy for this new opportunity for the whole family,” Auris Castro, 42, who is moving this Monday, said from the Gardi Sugdub dock.
Army and emergency workers support the transfer of the Guna Yala indigenous community.
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The Guna Yala archipelago, also known as San Blas, is made up of 365 small Caribbean islands that are almost at sea level. The Guna people live there, one of the seven indigenous ethnic groups of Panama, where They live mainly from fishing and, in recent years, also from tourism.
What we seek is to safeguard the lives of the families who live on this island, who are victims of the onslaught of climate change and sea level
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When it rains, the narrow streets flood.
Now they have been forced to move to the mainland because those islands run the risk of being swallowed by the sea.officially becoming the first displaced people in the country due to the climate crisis.
According to Government estimates, by 2050 the sea level will rise between 0.56 and 0.76 meters, causing some of those islands in Guna Yala to disappear.
They activate the “Dulup” operation Throughout this Monday, the National Border Service (Senafront) and the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) of Panama have helped the inhabitants of the island of Gardi Sugdub to move your belongings to more than 1,350 gunas to the new neighborhood by speed boats.
A man carries some of his belongings to move
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This mobilization, named operation “Dulup” (locust, in the Guna language), will last at least three days – until next June 6 – and is divided by sectors of the island. To do this, the Panamanian authorities have used 160 units, 30 boats and 30 SUVs.
The new neighborhood project, designed in 2010, began in 2017, but it did not materialize until last Wednesday, with a total investment of 12.2 million dollars, when it was inaugurated by the Panamanian president, Laurentino Cortizo, with the official delivery of the keys to their new homes to the families.
To that place, with an area of 14 hectares, 300 families move in with a small 40.96 prefabricated house square meters, with two bedrooms, living room, bathroom and laundry, on a 300 m2 plot of land.
In addition, the neighborhood has a new school for more than 650 students and a traditional house to establish the local Congress, in order to maintain native traditions
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