Darien Province, Panama - February 3, 2024

From January to 6 June this year 174,513 people transited through the Darien jungle, Panama's National Migration Service reported Thursday via a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

The agency added that in the first six days of June alone, 4,499 people (3,598 adults and 901 minors) have arrived in the country.
Although the Darien Gap was seen a decade ago as a virtually impassable barrier, more and more migrants are taking the risk of crossing it.

In 2023, more than 500,000 people arrived in Panama through the jungle, most with plans to continue their journey to the United States.
Weeks ago, meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that the number of child migrants crossing the dangerous Darien Gap has increased by 40 per cent so far this year, putting the route on track to reach record levels of child migration for the fifth consecutive year.

UNICEF said in a statement that in the first four months of 2024, more than 30,000 children crossed the Darien and that of that total, according to the UN agency's data, 2,000 were unaccompanied or separated from their families.

Panama's president-elect, Jose Raul Mulino, had said during his campaign that he wanted to "close the Darien".
Some images in association with Oscar El Blue Ramirez.

SHOTLIST:
1. various migrants in the Darien Gap (Mar 5, 2023/Nov 17, 2023/Feb 3, 2024).