The santarian conditions are precarious and food is scarce. Around 20,000 migrants are now waiting in a small Colombian town.
Given the ongoing influx of migrants, the humanitarian crisis in north-west Colombia is worsening. Every day, up to 1,500 people, mainly from Haiti, arrive in the village of Necoclí on their way north, according to the authorities.
In the community with around 70,000 inhabitants, around 20,000 migrants with the desired destination USA are now waiting in tent camps on the streets. Two Haitians were killed this week, according to the city council. “One was stabbed to death, another died because of breathing problems,” said Mayor Jorge Tobón of the German Press Agency.
The migrants often wait days or weeks for a place on the boats that bring them to the border with Panama. From there, one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world, according to the Red Cross, leads through the partly mountainous, partly swampy Darién jungle between Colombia and Panama. There are no roads, that’s why gangs are active there.
Officially, Panama currently only lets 500 people into the country a day. As a result, many migrants are stuck in Necoclí, now South America’s bottleneck. «The health and sanitary conditions are very precarious. The water is scarce, there is a lack of food, ”said the director of the Colombian non-governmental organization“ Forjando Futuros ”(forging the future), Gerardo Vega, of the dpa. The fishing and tourist town declared a state of public emergency in July.
Theo Bernal arrived in Necoclí from Haiti three months ago. Since then he has not been able to continue north. “I had $ 1,000 to get to Panama, but there are no tickets for the ferry until the end of October,” said Bernal. «The children suffer most. They often get sick and have to go to the hospital, but the drugs are expensive and the waiting times are long. “
The number of migrants crossing the Darién jungle increased dramatically this year. According to the Red Cross, there were more than 70,000 people from January to August. The highest number of around 30,000 people in a year previously came from 2016.
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