Panama ‘invaded without firing a shot,’ says opposition leader after US troop deal revealed
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, fourth from left, and Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez wave to workers on a boat during a tour of the Panama Canal's Miraflores Locks in Panama City, April 8, 2025
A PANAMANIAN opposition leader denounced the government for allowing “an invasion without firing a shot” at the weekend, after it agreed to allow US troops to deploy in the country.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed on Thursday he had signed deals with Panama to “protect the Panama Canal from Chinese influence.”
The local chapter of Transparency International, as well as the opposition Another Way Movement, are demanding that Panama publish details of its secret agreements with the US, which are understood to involve US troops moving into three former bases, and “first and free” access for the US Navy throughout the waterway.
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