President Gustavo Petro responded to reports about an alleged rejection of aid from the United States to address the rain emergency in Córdoba and other Caribbean departments.
Through his account on X, the president affirmed that the National Government has not rejected international cooperation and announced that, Once the technical requirements are consolidated, specific support in machinery and hydrology experts will be requested.
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The controversy arose amid the increase in impacts due to the winter season, which leaves more than 200 events registered in 20 departments, with an impact on at least 148 municipalities.
According to the most recent official consolidated report, more than 107,000 families have been affected, 3,892 homes have been destroyed and another 21,673 are damaged. Córdoba heads the list of territories with the highest number of affected families.
In the face of criticism, the head of state was emphatic that there is no negative response to foreign cooperation, but that it is a process that must follow technical criteria.
“We have not rejected international aid, it has just not been officially requested yet, because the requirements are of a technical nature”wrote the president.
Petro explained that the strategy contemplates structural interventions to mitigate future emergencies, especially in areas where old swamps have lost their capacity for water regulation. In this context, he anticipated that the Government will request specific support.
“International help will be requested in dredgers to remove land and give capacity to the old swamps to receive water. If countries can send experts on natural hydrology issues, welcome.”he added.
The statements come while in departments such as Córdoba, Sucre and La Guajira, floods, sudden floods and mass movements are reported as the most recurrent events. The authorities have indicated that the accumulation of sediments and the alteration of water ecosystems have reduced the natural buffering capacity against intense rains, which increases the risk of overflows.
For his part, the director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (Ungrd), Carlos Carrillo, supported the Government’s position and denied that there is a rejection of international aid. As he explained, The Colombian State maintains operational and logistical capacity to address the emergency, although it does not rule out that at some point additional support may be required.
“It is absolutely false, and I say this categorically, that the National Government is rejecting aid from other countries. At this moment, aid is guaranteed. The Colombian State has the capacity to respond and in Montería, for example, we have a collection center with humanitarian assistance up to the ceiling,” he stated.
Carrillo specified that the distribution of aid depends on the censuses carried out by local governments and that the country has the capacity to deliver more assistance to the extent that it is required. He also explained that international cooperation must follow an official channel.
“It is not true that we are rejecting humanitarian aid, but it would be very responsible if, even having response capabilities, we called for foreign aid. (…) Neither other sectors of the National Government, nor the governorates, nor the mayors can process humanitarian assistance with foreign countries. The exclusive channel is the Foreign Ministry,” he said.
The official added that Colombia works hand in hand with the country’s humanitarian team, led by Ocha, to coordinate complementary actions of cooperators that already have a presence in the territory.
Meanwhile, the Government is advancing in the technical evaluation of the most critical areas, especially those where intervention with dredges could facilitate the recovery of strategic bodies of water.
