The Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, assured this Sunday that the interoceanic canal “He is Panamanian and will follow being”, in response to the threat from the president-elect of the United States, Republican Donald Trump, that he will demand their return if they are not reduce rates that charges for its transit.
“My fellow countrymen, as president I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canaland its adjacent areas is from Panama and will continue to be. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable“said Mulino in a video released by the Government.
The Panama Canal was built by the United States, which inaugurated it in 1914 and administered it until its transfer to the Panamanian State on December 31, 1999as established in the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed on September 7, 1977 in Washington by the then presidents of Panama Omar Torrijos (1929-1981) and American Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).
On the other hand, this exercise has witnessed a significant reduction in migrants to the US transiting through the Central American State. In total, about 300,000 migrants have crossed the Darien so far this year, a “decrease” of about 200,000 people compared to the historical record of 2023, when some 520,000 crossed the jungle, according to data from Panamanian authorities.
40% drop
The Government of Panama relates this decrease 40% in the migratory transit through the Darién with the measures implemented since the arrival of the president, José Raúl Mulinoon July 1, among which stands out an agreement with the United States to deport migrants and the closure of trails or unauthorized steps.
But this decrease in migrants through the Darién has also been felt in Colombia, which for the first time since the pandemic, when the records of people who crossed this dangerous jungle began to be broken, has begun to take action to address the humanitarian crisis on its northern border.
“Humanitarian assistance has been strengthened since 2021 when an increase in migratory dynamics was evident, since that moment it has intensified due to coordination between the State, humanitarian organizations and the migrant population,” the Monitoring and Evaluation coordinator highlights to EFE. , Analysis and Learning of the Red Cross Migration Strategy, Laura Daniela Ovalles. In that sense, the Colombian Red Cross, one of the organizations that has attended to the crisis since the beginning, highlights that for the first time there are Colombian Immigration officers at the border.
