Guaidó blames Maduro for the death of Venezuelan migrants in the Darién jungle

MADRID, 17 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Juan Guaidó, this Saturday blamed the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, for being responsible for the deaths of those Venezuelan migrants who tried to cross the Darién jungle, between Colombia and Panama, with the aim to arrive in the United States.

"It is the Maduro dictatorship that has pushed Venezuelans to risk their lives in the Darién jungle," Guaidó said on his personal Twitter account.

Likewise, the leader of the opposition has requested that the rights of migrants be protected. "It is necessary to protect our migrants and refugees, that they be recognized as such, and solve this drama (...)", he urged.

"Each Venezuelan who has died crossing the Darién, each heartbreaking testimony of a survivor, is felt in the soul of a country that is suffering from an unprecedented crisis in our region," declared the politician.

Subsequently, Guaidó has shared a series of news of people who died or were injured during this month after trying to cross said territory.

The Darién jungle is a route with dangerous conditions, due to its natural characteristics --such as mighty rivers and wild animals-- and the presence of armed groups.

In 2021, a record 133,000 people crossed the Darién Gap, including 29,000 children, according to official data from the Panamanian authorities to which the NGO Human Right Watch (HRW) had access. In the first four months of 2022, the number of migrants and asylum seekers crossing into North America nearly doubled from the same months in 2021.

In March, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned of the notable increase in Venezuelans crossing the region, due to the socioeconomic impact caused, in part, by the coronavirus pandemic.