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News > Latin America

Venezuela Offers Colombia Landslide Aid Despite Rising Tension

  • Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (L) and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R).

    Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (L) and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R). | Photo: Reuters

Published 1 April 2017
Opinion

Venezuela's offer to provide assistance follows diplomatic attacks by neighboring Colombia.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday offered to send rescuers and other disaster relief experts to Colombia to help victims of a mudslide that has killed at least 154 people.

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The mudslide, which overtook the small city of Mocoa in southern Colombia, left about 400 people injured and 220 missing. Mocoa is left in almost total ruin, as buildings, trees and infrastructure were toppled by muddy water and debris.

“We’re brotherly people who are there to be together and show respect for one another in trying times,” Maduro said. 

“All solidarity and love to the people of Colombia,” Maduro posted on Twitter, adding that Venezuela is “ready to provide the support that is necessary right now.”

Maduro’s offer to provide assistance comes a day after the Colombian government slammed Venezuela following a ruling from the country's top court that specified that it could assume some responsibilities of the National Assembly as long as the legislature continued to operate "in contempt" of the constitution.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos decried the move as “unacceptable” and as an attack on “the most important pillar of any democracy.”

“What happened yesterday to remove all powers to the Legislative Assembly forces us to raise our voice of protest and solidarity with Venezuelan democracy that is clearly violated,” Santos said in a statement. 

Venezuela's Attorney General also slammed the court decision, prompting Maduro to convene a meeting of the National Defense Council, a mechanism in the constitution that combines various branches of the state to resolve urgent matters. The Council urged the decision to be reviewed and the Venezuelan Supreme Court reversed its ruling Saturday morning.

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The Colombian government has also collaborated with the Organization of American States, OAS, in attempting to revoke Venezuela’s membership over alleged “human rights violations.”

Last Tuesday, 18 OAS member countries, including Colombia, called a meeting over Venezuela with the intention of invoking the group's Democratic Charter against the socialist country. Santos claimed he was “deeply concerned” about the political situation in Venezuela crisis, supporting calls for new elections that could lead to regime change. 

Despite these attacks from the Colombian government, Venezuela has committed to sending relief to its neighbor. Santos has not yet confirmed whether the Colombian government will accept the aid. 

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