Colombia and Panama have agreed to increase joint military operations in the Darien jungle region to tackle drug trafficking, illegal mining, and irregular migration.
Traversing the Darien gap that connects Colombia and Panama has become a popular route to the United States in recent years for thousands of migrants, who must often contend with illegal armed groups, such as Colombian criminal gang, Clan del Golfo.
Military authorities, government officials and diplomats from the two Latin American countries agreed to step up operations during a meeting on Tuesday.
"We have to face the criminality of the Clan del Golfo. Strengthening intelligence and being able to identify large organizations that could be in league with the Clan del Golfo or independently carrying out criminal activities is a fundamental issue," said Colombia's Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez.
The agreement includes construction of a shared observation post in Cabo Tiburon, located in Colombia's Choco province, as well as a military base in Sapzurro, a Colombian town close to the border between the two countries, Colombia's Defense Ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.
The U.S government is also considering the possibility of installing a maritime radar in the region, the statement said.
A record 248,283 migrants - mostly Venezuelans - arrived in Panama in 2022 after crossing the dangerous and remote Darien gap.
Migrants who cross the Darien must pay groups of "coyotes" to guide them.
They risk being used by illegal armed groups to transport drugs, while women are at risk of sexual abuse, according to security sources.
Tuesday's meeting was attended by Colombia's Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva and his Panamanian counterpart Janaina Tewaney Mencomo, as well as high-ranking U.S embassy officials to both countries.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Mike Harrison)
