Colombia Forum

JasonKlien
Joined 2020
Posts: 362

2 years ago

One week in Capurgana, 300 Africans each day making the jungle trek!

2 years ago

Last week I spent close to one week in Capurgana up by the Panama border, this was my 2nd visit with the prior being October 2019.

Not much has changed other than now the power is off more than it is on and sadly the care less no service minded attitudes of the chocos (I am talking about the ones who work in the hotel and restaurant / tourism business there) is still in full control BUT what has changed and grown exponentially is the illegal crossings of mainly Africans who arrive in Capurgana then are whisked into the jungle and they begin to cross into Panama by foot.

I watched this played out right in front of me each and every day where the boat arrives, from a clandestine port, and quickly within 8 to 10 minutes all 80 give or take are off the boat and head down the small pier/dock, all single file, walk right past the police and migration stiffs working and "protecting" the dock, they walk around the corner about 60 meters and are all quickly loaded up into waiting Tuk-Tuks and off they go to the jungle to start their 4/5 day trek by foot through the Darien Gap jungle into Panama and then further north.

So each day there are about 4 boats that are packed with Africans including men, women, small children and even babies. Yes 300 give or take are making this trek EACH and EVERY DAY!

This is big business for the Narcos and the traffickers who profit so immensely off this that they don't service the tourist industry in Capurgana (ie tuk-tuk, employees for hotels and restaurants, etc.) and frankly could care less about anything other than protecting their profit center of human smuggling.

The Colombian government, so I was told, turns a blind eye to this all as they allow the migration to continue, to allow these mainly Africans to pass thru Colombia otherwise what does Colombia do with tens of thousands of Africans.

I had to be careful taking photos of this as all eyes were on me wondering if I could be a reporter or journalist as they don't want their out in the open illegal activities to be made known. My gawd you could just imagine what goes on during this 5 day jungle trek to women and children.

So in the one week I was in Caprugana about 2,000 illegal immigrants passed thru, there will be another 2,000 this week and the next, and the next, and the next, on and on.

Let me see if the photo will load.

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