BAJO CHIQUITO, Panama — At first they appeared only as weary silhouettes emerging from the dense foliage on the other side of the Tuquesa River. After trekking for days from Colombia, migrants arriving at Bajo Chiquito, feel relief. The alleged attackers were detained, but the alarming incident illustrates the lawlessness of the Darien and migrants’ vulnerability to robbery, sexual assault, illness and the extreme elements. In Bajo Chiquito the migrants also register with police for the first time in the country. A handful of indigenous villages even smaller than Bajo Chiquito dotted the riverbanks, and the sound of birdsong was near constant.

Source: National Post May 31, 2019 04:18 UTC