A huge bridge, reportedly big enough for a convoy of tanks to cross, is set to pop up in Panama at one of the most dangerous border crossings for migrants in the world.
According to reports, the structure will be built in Yaviza, on the Rio Chuconaco – the dividing point between Central and South America and one of the southernmost points accessible by roads from North America.
Until now, the Pan-American Highway – which winds through Central America towards South America – ended in Yaviza, at the edge of the 100-mile-long Darien Gap – a dense, lawless jungle between Panama and Colombia.
Millions of migrants brave the Darien Gap every year, but are forced to make the journey largely on foot, encountering dangerous river crossings, wildlife and even violent criminal gangs that extort, kidnap and abuse them.
According to a report from the US-based Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), that could be about to change with the construction of the new bridge over the Rio Chuconaco, which would allow the highway to be extended further south.
A huge bridge, reportedly big enough for a convoy of tanks to cross, is set to pop up in Panama at one of the most dangerous border crossings for migrants in the world. Pictured: A video showing the early stages of the bridge’s construction can be seen on footage from CBN
According to reports, the bridge will be built in Yaviza, on the Rio Chuconaco – the dividing point between Central and South America and one of the southernmost points accessible by roads from North America.
This would undoubtedly make the crossing safer for the millions of migrants coming up from South America with the ultimate goal of reaching the United States.
However, news of the bridge’s construction has raised a puzzling question: who is financing the bridge’s construction and what do they stand to gain?
According to Michael Yon, an American writer and photographer, China is a possible benefactor.
According to figures released in February this year, more than seven million migrants have crossed America’s southern border under Joe Biden’s administration.
The total also does not include the estimated 1.8 million known “escapers” who have managed to evade law enforcement.
The issue of migration has long been a divisive topic in the US, and a divided America is of great benefit to major powers Beijing, with China being the US’s main economic rival and the main rival global superpower.
It is easy to see, therefore, why China might have an interest in aiding the passage of migrants from South America to America’s southern border.
However, another reason could be the Chinese migrants themselves.
Chuck Holton told CBN that given the size of the construction project (pictured), it “seems like the builders have other plans in the future” to continue the road beyond the bridge.
While the majority of migrants making the treacherous journey north from South America come from countries like Haiti and Venezuela hoping for a new life in the United States, the number of Chinese migrants has soared in recent years.
Figures show that authorities in Panama counted 15,000 Chinese migrants in 2023, almost eight times as many as in the same period in 2022, and more than 40 times as many as in 2021, according to CBS figures. Daily star.
Additionally, between January and September 2023, U.S. border officials apprehended more than 22,000 Chinese nationals attempting to enter from Mexico.
With its Belt and Road initiative, the Chinese government is also known to finance infrastructure projects around the world.
Panama is among the 150 member states of the initiative, while Colombia is considering joining Belt and Road.
Michael Yon said in a podcast by American screenwriter and television producer Shawn Ryan: ‘No one says who puts the money in.’
This, he said, “indicates to me that it is China – because China has a way of doing this.
“But I keep asking the government people who actually pays for this, and no one seems to know,” he said.
According to CBN correspondent Chuck Holton who visited the construction site, the original plan for the bridge and the new road is to connect villages in the region.
He spoke to Lead Bridge Engineer Manuel Pinilla, who told the US Network: ‘This area is rich in fertile land, which is mainly used for agricultural activities such as raising livestock and growing tubers, among other crops.
Transport takes place exclusively by boat across the river, often requiring four to five hours of travel upstream or downstream. However, this project will provide them with a more accessible link, potentially leading to significant development.”
However, Holton told CBN that given the size of the construction project, it “appears as if the builders have other plans in the future” to continue the road.
“And if that’s the case, that could change everything from an economic perspective, a political perspective, and from a migration perspective here in the Western Hemisphere,” he said.
Millions of migrants brave the Darien Gap (pictured) every year, but are forced to make the journey largely on foot, encountering dangerous river crossings, wildlife and even violent criminal gangs that extort, kidnap and abuse them.
Migrants heading north take boats in Bajo Chiquito in Panama’s Darien Province in 2023
News of the bridge’s construction was criticized by Human Rights Watch on Wednesday Colombia and Panama have failed to do enough to protect the hundreds of thousands of migrants traveling to the US across the Darien Gap.
“Whatever their reason for travel, migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Darien Gap are entitled to basic safety and respect for their human rights along the way,” Juanita Goebertus, director of HRW Americas, said in a statement.
“Colombian and Panamanian authorities can and must do more to ensure the rights of migrants and asylum seekers crossing their countries, and of local communities who have experienced years of neglect,” she added.
Despite the dangers, the Darien Gap has become an important corridor for migrants seeking to reach the United States.
According to the Panamanian government, a record 520,000 people trekked through the jungle in 2023.
In its 110-page report, HRW says Colombia “lacks a clear strategy” to protect those bridging the gap, with a limited government presence leaving them exposed to the Gulf Clan, a drug cartel and a major player in the migrant world .
Panama, meanwhile, is focusing more on restricting the movement of migrants and rushing them to Costa Rica, rather than “meeting their needs or ensuring they can exercise their right to seek asylum.”
The NGO reported that authorities on both sides of the border were not doing enough to investigate and punish violations such as widespread sexual abuse or the search for missing people.
Since 2021, there have been more than 1,500 reports of sexual violence in the Darien Gap, but the actual number is likely higher, HRW said.
Dozens, possibly hundreds, of people have died trying to cross or are missing in the region, the report said.
“Inadequate” efforts were also identified to ensure access to food, water and essential health care services.
The publication of the report comes after medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) criticized the sharp increase in sexual violence against migrants in February, accusing Panama of not doing enough to protect them.
Aerial view of migrants walking through the jungle near the village of Bajo Chiquito, the first border checkpoint of Panama’s Darien province, on September 22, 2023.
According to Doctors Without Borders, an average of sixteen women were raped per day in February.
In response, the Panamanian government suspended MSF’s humanitarian work in the Darien Gap, accusing the country of not sharing data on the alleged victims.
The government also accused international aid groups of encouraging illegal migration by handing out maps to help migrants cross the jungle.
Goebertus also urged foreign governments to support efforts to protect the migrants, saying Colombia and Panama “must not be left alone to respond to the challenges in the Darien Gap.”