Panama

The Darien Gap ‘closure’: Border theatre in the jungle

A promise to ‘shut’ the Darien becomes a headline win. The lived reality is rerouted suffering and rights stripped bare.

Panama declares emergency in western province after deadly pension protests

Clashes with police have left at least one person dead and about 30 injured in a major banana-producing province.

US banana giant Chiquita fires thousands over Panama strike

President Jose Raul Mulino, whose changes to social security laws prompted the protest, called the strike ‘illegal’.

Villagers vow to fight new Panama Canal reservoir

Villagers navigate the Indio River during a protest against the construction of a reservoir in the river basin in Rio Indio, Colon province, Panama. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]

Francisco Troya, a boatman who transports goods in his canoe along the Indio River, looks out at the jungle landscape in the small town of Boca de Uracillo. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]

Olegario Cedeno sits at his home in front of a sign that reads "Alternative for the Canal - Bayano Yes - Indio river No" in the small town of Limon, in Cocle province. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]

Agustina Delgado and her son Frederid Martinez stand inside their home in the village of Boca de Uracillo, along the banks of the Indio River. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]

Hector Martinez at his home in Boca de Uracillo. The Panama Canal authorities are pushing forward a controversial plan to build a reservoir in the Indio River basin, aimed at securing the country's water supply, both for canal operations and for human consumption. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]

La Boca de Uracillo, a remote community of about 200 residents nestled along the Indio River in the mountainous region of Cocle province. The plan to build the reservoir faces strong opposition from local communities, who refuse to abandon their homes to make way for the construction. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]