Two kids from Guinea in West Africa were left at the airport in Bogotá and have now been placed under government care after being alone in the international departures area for multiple days.
The national immigration department of Colombia reported that two children, one 10 years old and the other 13 years old, were traveling in different groups and were abandoned by their family members at the airport earlier this month. The reasons for this have not been explained.
As migrants from Africa continue to utilize South American and Central American airports as a means to reach the United States, the recent revelation of two children serves as evidence of this trend.
According to Panamanian authorities, over 12,000 individuals from Africa made the journey through the Darién jungle, between Colombia and Panama, last year while traveling from Brazil to the north.
However, this year saw a 25% decrease in the amount of Africans enduring the difficult journey through the jungle, possibly due to a rise in popularity of an air route starting in Turkey and leading to countries north of the Darién.
Officials in Colombia reported that the minors discovered at Bogotá’s airport earlier this week had traveled on a non-stop flight from Istanbul and intended to continue on to El Salvador. From there, they would take connecting flights to Nicaragua, a nation that permits individuals from the majority of African countries to enter without visas, upon paying a penalty fee.
According to Adam Isacson, a specialist in immigration at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights organization, African migrants travel through Nicaragua to reach the United States by land.
According to Isacson, human trafficking groups are finding alternative ways to avoid the Darién Gap for those who can afford it. They will persist in searching for paths, even if they are convoluted.
In September, the International Organization for Migration reported a rise in the number of Cubans and Africans entering Nicaragua by plane as a means to reach the United States.
The group reported a 65% decrease in the amount of Africans crossing the Darién in the first six months of 2023. However, there was a significant increase of 550% in the number of African migrants entering Honduras through the southern border with Nicaragua, with 19,000 arrivals compared to the previous year (2022).
In May, Colombia removed the need for transit visas for citizens of various African nations, such as Guinea. This decision was made by the country’s first leftist government in an effort to strengthen ties with African countries.
There are no non-stop flights from Colombia to Nicaragua, so migrants traveling there must first go through El Salvador. This country charges African migrants a $1,000 fee to pass through its airport.
On Tuesday evening, the head of Colombia’s child welfare agency announced that the families of the two children who were left behind at the airport have been reached out to.
She did not mention the location of the families, but stated that it would require time to reunite the children with them.
Source: theguardian.com
