The Darien Gap has become one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world due to the difficult terrain, the illegal armed groups operating there, and the sexual violence perpetrated against many of these people. Since the pandemic began in 2020, thousands of people have risked their lives in this inhospitable jungle, where many never make it out alive. Along the way, human remains bear witness to the invisible cost of migration.
A group of migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, and Ecuador cross the Lajas Blancas River on their third day of crossing the Darien Gap in the Panamanian jungle.
María Arenas, a Venezuelan migrant, takes a few minutes’ rest after climbing a mountain on the Colombian side of the Darién Gap for several hours. Her medical condition is not the best due to chronic tachycardia, which she has suffered from since childhood. As a result, the migration journey takes her much longer and puts her at greater risk than other migrants because she has to lag behind the larger groups.
An unidentified man belonging to the illegal armed group Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia waits at the side of the road for migrants to collect the extortion money they demand for keeping the Colombian side of the jungle safe.
Thousands of children have crossed the Darien Gap in the last decade, many of them in dangerous conditions due to lack of food or family accompaniment, putting them at even greater risk.
Mikel, Kayra, and their son pause for a moment in the middle of the road to try to hydrate the baby, who is suffering from the effects of the intense heat and humidity of the jungle.
Along the different routes, migrants can see the exposed bodies of people who have been murdered or who have died due to the difficult terrain and lack of food, adding psychological stress to the already complex experience of crossing the jungle.
At the beginning of the journey, migrant families try to carry as many belongings as possible, thinking that they may be useful later on. However, in the difficult terrain, they begin to abandon wet clothes and anything else that adds weight to their luggage, slowing them down and putting them at risk of attack by armed groups.
Many migrant families, such as that of Ecuadorian Brayan Tigre, choose to migrate with children or elderly adults who are not physically prepared for a journey lasting several days. For the parents of minors, one of the most important responsibilities is to keep their children’s spirits up during the journey.
Unaccompanied minors, such as 9-year-old Justin, face the jungle following other migrants without knowing where they are going or how to cross, so some return to Acandí in Colombia, the last place they know. This is the case of Justin, whose parents were detained by the Panamanian National Border Service at the beginning of their journey in that country, so Justin decided to turn back and return to Acandí, where his aunt and uncle, also migrants, were waiting for him.
Over the last decade, the Darién Gap has been one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world due to the difficult terrain, the illegal armed groups operating there, and the sexual violence perpetrated against many of these people. Since the pandemic began in 2020, thousands of people have risked their lives in this inhospitable jungle, from which many never manage to escape.
