Four Venezuelan migrants have died trying to cross the border in the past week Darien Jungle, border between Colombia and Panama. Among the fatalities is a minor whose parents, unable to bear the pain of loss, took their own lives.
“In the last week we have confirmed the deaths of four Venezuelan migrants in the jungle of Darién and a refugee on the Bolivian border with Chile,” the opponent published. David Smolansky on his Twitter account.
Smolansky told the EFE agency that he was able to confirm this information after ensuring coordination with authorities, civil society and journalists through an office of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) on the Venezuelan migrant crisis.
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He also explained that the dead in the Darién jungle, including a minor and a police officer, came from the Venezuelan states of Mérida, Falcón and Carabobo.
Speaking to Argentinian broadcaster Todo Noticias (TN), a young Venezuelan migrant who survived the horror of crossing the Darién jungle said: “A girl fell on her mother in the river, she was killed and the parents ended her (the take life)”
Through a report by TN, the fateful journey of the migrants was revealed and some of these people shared their experiences.
“Here the mind is put to the test (…). Unless you have a positive mind to move forward, your body will be exhausted (…). If you want, you can,” said a man at the beginning of the journey.
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However, some broke down in tears as they exited the border corridor, including a Venezuelan woman who claimed the route was “ugly”, worse than she imagined.
“I never thought. I dared, but without thinking that it was such an ugly and hard thing. Too hard, I don’t wish it on anyone (…). A number of people have died that we would have can be,” he said.
“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone in Darién, it’s hard,” said another migrant, also in tears.
“He was crazy, brother. We’ve seen people die, people have heart attacks. children, women. Parents who hanged themselves because their children were dying. Lots of crazy things from everything. The most difficult moment was when we passed these mountains and left without food and without water. Don’t come with your children,” he insisted.
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Response from Human Rights Watch
On the other hand, the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced that the visa restrictions imposed on Venezuelans by North American and Central American countries have led to a significant increase in the number of people traversing the risky jungle.
“The number of Venezuelans crossing the Darien Gap to the North American continent has skyrocketed over the past year as countries imposed visa restrictions that make it difficult for Venezuelans to fly to Mexico and Central America,” reported HRW in a quoted statement from the Monitoreamos portal.
“People fleeing human rights crises in countries in the region must have a safe and orderly way to seek protection abroad,” he said. Tamara Taraciuk BronerInterim director for the Americas at Human Rights Watch.
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Leaders who recently signed the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection must live up to their commitment by urgently reversing immigration measures that force people to make dangerous crossings.
The Darién Plug, an inhospitable jungle, is used by thousands of migrants from all over the world on their way to North America. It is considered one of the most dangerous routes in the world due to its natural features, typical of a jungle, and the presence of armed groups.
According to the official report, more than 46,000 irregular migrants have crossed the Darién this year, most of them Haitians and Venezuelans heading to the United States or Canada in search of better living conditions, amid a surge in regional migration flows.
About 6,150,000 people have left the Caribbean country, with 5,090,000 living in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the latest July 12 update from the Regional Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V).
With information from EFE.