Panama

According to the Panamanian migratory authority, in 2024 more than 302,000 people crossed the Darién Gap, a remote area of mountainous jungle between Colombia and Panama, where they are vulnerable to attacks by criminal gangs as they make their way north to the United States. Although this figure represents a 42 percent decrease compared to 2023, it was the second-highest number of crossings since the beginning of the migration crisis in this region.

Two-thirds of the migrants crossing were Venezuelans, topping a list of dozens of different nationalities, including Colombians, Ecuadorians, and increasing numbers of people from other continents.

MSF teams based at the Lajas Blancas migration station and in the indigenous community of Bajo Chiquito offered basic medical consultations for conditions such as diarrhea, skin rashes, and respiratory illnesses, as well as mental health support and treatment for sexual violence. 

In March 2024, we were forced to suspend our activities in Darién by the Panamanian authorities, who claimed that we did not have a collaboration agreement in place, which we had been trying to renew since October 2023.