Colombia Declines International Aid Despite Deadly Floods
Colombia has indicated it will not seek international assistance to address the widespread devastation caused by recent flooding, despite more than 200,000 people being affected, including 68,000 families in Córdoba alone remaining under water. The decision comes as the United States offered to send food, water sanitation kits, and supplies for temporary shelters, initially intended to benefit 1,400 households in Córdoba.
Carlos Carrillo, director of Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), stated in an interview with La FM radio, “What we have is not aid that we are requesting.” He explained that the government is adhering to established procedures for managing and requesting international cooperation.
Carrillo emphasized that over 220 tons of aid have already been dispatched. “The system is functioning,” he asserted, highlighting the coordinated efforts between mayors, governors, the Armed Forces, the Police, Civil Defense, and the private sector.
“Absolutely False”: Carrillo Responds to Claims of Aid Rejection
The UNGRD has clarified that the government has not rejected aid from the United States, stating that any assistance from the U.S. Department of State is entering the country through existing cooperation agencies like OCHA and World Vision, and is being distributed through the national risk management system. However, the agency maintains this does not constitute a formal appeal for international cooperation.
Carrillo recently stated in a video that “it is absolutely false, and I say it categorically, that the national government is rejecting aid from other countries. At this time, aid is guaranteed.” He added that “the Colombian State has the capacity to respond and in Montería, for example, we have a storage center with humanitarian assistance to the roof, but we are also able to dispatch even more aid as distribution begins according to the censuses of local governments.”
Carrillo stressed that assistance offered by other countries follows a regular pathway within the national system. “We work hand in hand with the humanitarian country team led by OCHA so that those cooperators who have a presence in Colombia can carry out their complementary actions to cooperate with what we effectively do and direct from the UNGRD,” he added.
UNGRD’s Response and Concerns Over Structural Recovery
The UNGRD indicated that the National Disaster Risk Management System (SNGRD) is maintaining humanitarian aid with coordination from national, departmental, and municipal entities, as well as rescue organizations and communities.
However, the agency communicated just two days ago that the magnitude of “structural recovery exceeds the ordinary financial capacities of the Government, requiring additional measures, such as a declaration of economic emergency, to address this situation generated by an atypical meteorological phenomenon.”
“I Invite You Not to Yield to the Temptation of Protagonism”: Carrillo
Carrillo reiterated the information via his X account, stating that the Government has not activated any call for international aid. “From @UNGRD we appreciate the expressions of solidarity from friendly countries in the face of the delicate situation (…) However, we must clarify that, for the moment, the Government of Colombia has not activated the call for international help. @SNGRDColombia is responding and has not yet exhausted its capabilities,” he wrote.
Carrillo emphasized that international relations are the responsibility of the President of the Republic and that “any request for humanitarian assistance must be processed exclusively through @CancilleriaCol” (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). He underscored that it is not the responsibility of subnational governments or other national entities to make direct appeals for aid to other governments.
Finally, the official called for avoiding the politicization of the emergency. “Respectfully, I invite you not to yield to the temptation of protagonism. The emergency is not a space for political dispute, it is a call for joint work and the postponement of partisan debate,” he concluded.
- How is international aid requested in Colombia?
- According to the UNGRD, external humanitarian assistance can only be managed and formally requested through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería), under direct instruction from the President of the Republic.
- What is the current situation in Córdoba due to the rains?
- The department is facing one of its most serious crises with 68,000 families affected.
- Why is Colombia not accepting aid from the U.S.?
- Because the UNGRD assures that the national response is sufficient.
