The Darien Gap, a remote and roadless jungle on the border between Colombia and Panama, has become a site of immense humanitarian crisis. Tens of thousands of migrants, predominantly from Haiti, Venezuela, and elsewhere, traverse this dangerous migration route each month for safety and a better life. However, they face treacherous terrain, exposure to disease, and violence at the hands of criminal groups who have developed infrastructure for capturing, feeding, raiding, trafficking, and smuggling. Theft is also rampant, with 44,000 cases targeting migrants in 2021 alone, while abduction during raids has made disappearances of women and children all too common. Passing through the jungle into Panama carries a toll, with organized criminal groups preying on those who cannot afford to pay for the journey through indentured servitude, often resulting in drug, labor, or sex trafficking. Those who attempt to pass without the consent of criminal organizations are killed or forced into trafficking.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of deaths in the Darien Gap is likely much higher than 36 in 2022, with many who die on the route never being found or reported. The situation in the Darien Gap has evolved into a full-blown humanitarian crisis that requires international cooperation to ensure the safety of the migrants and refugees as they traverse through the gap. However, the number of migrants irregularly crossing into Panama after embarking on the perilous Darien Gap route reached a record in 2022, with a total of about 211,355 migrants crossing from January to October of that year, including a record number of children. The number of persons risking their lives will likely only increase due to the newly open border policy implemented between Colombia and Venezuela.

The Darien Gap has become a hotbed of criminal activity, with various groups, such as Colombia’s ELN and Gulf Clan, and remnants of the 57th FARC Front, among others, operating in the region. Criminal groups and smugglers who control the area often extort and prey on migrants. At the same time, the Panamanian government struggles to support local communities in the Darien region that lodge migrants and refugees. Migrants who cross the Darien Gap come from various countries, including Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and China. They are fleeing political instability, gang violence, discrimination, and economic difficulties in their home countries.

Grasping the Colombian/Panama border crisis is essential to resolving this issue. The Darien Jungle is a migrant launch point perpetuating smuggling, trafficking, theft, and death. Solutions must include the jungle as a factor, and international cooperation is essential to ensure the safety of the migrants. As the United States, Panama, and Colombia have announced an ambitious campaign to shut down the Darien Gap route, it is essential to recognize the impact on local communities whose lands they often traverse and to continue working towards finding a comprehensive solution to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Darien Gap.