Some 68 Cubans, including 16 children, abandoned by smugglers, were rescued from the Darien by Panama’s Border Protection Service (Senafront) on Friday, October 1.

Units of the Pacific Battalion Jaqué located the migrants and with the support of artisanal boats from the Guayabo community, completed the rescue operation.

The Senafront reported that the migrants had been abandoned in Playa Cucaracha (Colombia) by supposed Colombians who were engaged in illegally moving them to Panama. The rescued migrants were taken to the Jaqué Health Center in Darién for proper medical attention.

Panama faces an increase in migrants on the Darien border, which led it to appeal to the international community at the 76th session of the United Nations Assembly, to make a joint effort as soon as possible, with coordinated strategies and resources to anticipate a regional humanitarian crisis of serious proportions.