Personnel from Colombia, Panama and U.S. visit the Darién jungle to coordinate migration measures

The United States, Colombia and Panama are "coordinating efforts" to deal with the migration crisis in the dangerous Darien jungle, an area through which hundreds of thousands of people cross on their journey to North America, the governments announced Tuesday.

Representatives of the three countries met in the town of Apartadó (Colombia) and toured the binational base of Alto Limón.

The Darien Gap, 266 kilometers long and bridges the natural border between Panama and Colombia.

In 2022, official Panamanian figures reported that 248,284 irregular travelers crossed the jungle in route the United States, an unprecedented number and evidence of the migratory and humanitarian crisis in the region, since these flows cross several countries in South and Central America.

So far in 2023, 31,000 migrants have crossed the thick jungle, almost the same number as in the first 5 months of 2022 (33,819), according to Panamanian information.

"As a result" of this Tuesday's meeting "a road map was identified, guided by the principles of the protection of human rights and the environment, and seeking to guarantee the human security of migrants who cross the Darién National Park," indicates a Joint Declaration released by the United States embassy in Colombia.

The objective of this meeting is to "coordinate efforts to safeguard the lives of migrants who cross the Darién" and "dismantle criminal organizations that control human trafficking networks," said a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Panama.

In addition to "fighting misinformation about the supposed benefits of undertaking the dangerous journey, and mitigating the impact that migration has on the environment and host communities," he added.

"I flew over the Darien Gap with @AlvaroLeyva @Ivan_Velasquez_ @MigracionCol and with colleagues from the Government of Panama. Irregular migration is a regional challenge that requires coordinated solutions". - FLP https://t.co/1oqjGfEKXg pic.twitter.com/6kyJETPD5h

— US Embassy Bogota (@USEmbassyBogota) February 14, 2023

Citizens from Haiti are the largest migrant group so far, with 12,585 people, followed by Ecuadorians (8,240), Venezuelans (3,535), Indians (641) and Colombians (465).

The rest of the travelers come from more than 30 countries around the world, including South America, Asia and Africa.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 36 migrants died in 2022 when crossing the Darién, where travelers face the dangers of a wild environment -animals, swollen rivers, ravines- as well as organized crime, which has used the area to traffic drugs, weapons and people for decades.

That death toll is possibly "only a small fraction of the true number of lives lost" in the area, the IOM warned in January.

Many of these travelers are also victims of robbery and sexual violence, including minors, the organization warned.