Colombian government calls for support from countries in the region in the face of the migration crisis on the border with Panama

The President of Colombia, Iván Duque, on Thursday called for regional cooperation to deal with the migration crisis currently unfolding on the border with Panama, in the northwestern part of the country, where thousands of migrants from countries in Africa and the Caribbean are stranded waiting to continue on its way to North America.

The first president spoke during a videoconference, at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, the complex situation unfolding in certain municipalities near the Darien plug, a region bordering the Panama border, through which thousands of migrants cross illegal routes.

“We have to accept this situation because it’s more than a refugee crisis, and sometimes it has to do with human trafficking. And this is something that we have to face at the regional level and it does not have to do only with what Colombia can do.», Declared the Head of State in his speech.

For this reason, he assured that more migration controls should be put in place and that cooperation with Panama and other Central American countries should be established to prevent migrants from suffering this situation during their journey. to reach the southern border of the United States.

A problem which, according to the president, is not new and requires coordinated actions between the countries of the region to face the reality of thousands of Cuban and Haitian citizens and those of different African nations seeking access to better living conditions in North America.

“How can we prevent it? because we will have to do a lot to intercept the means of transport that are used to bring migrants to this part of the world and we must report human trafficking and what we have to do in other countries is to create opportunities ”, assured Iván Duque.

In this sense, he called for the generation of sustainable opportunities in the countries of the region through investments, especially from the United States, which allow the consolidation of jobs and thus improve the conditions of citizens in search of a better future. .

At the same time, he indicated that it is necessary to work together on strategies to prevent ships carrying migrants, which run significant risks by aspiring to more dignified living conditions, from touching the country’s land.

“I’m convinced that The best way to put an end to this pressure on the southern border of the United States is to know what the “nearshore” will bring, because if we have more money in the Americas and if a greater investment is made, it it makes much more sense to invest in our countries to generate employment and thus discourage pressure at the borders”, Concluded the President of Colombia.

The Colombian municipality of Necoclí, part of the Antioquia department (north-west), collapses due to a recent unprecedented migratory crisis and for which some 10,000 people seek to reach Panama on their way to America North.

The mayor of Necoclí, José Augusto Tobón, has declared public calamity and asked for help from the national government in a situation that is beyond the capacity of local authorities.

The official assured the media that it was “the worst crisis in the history” of his municipality because thousands of migrants could not buy tickets to continue their journey to Panama.

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