MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombia asks for supplies but not foreign rescue personnel after the earthquake

The Colombian government issued a diplomatic note on Tuesday requesting support from the international community with specific requirements

Colombia's government has requested international aid in the form of supplies for those affected by Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake, but has not called for foreign rescue teams, despite offers from at least six countries and multilateral bodies.

El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, was the one who made Colombia's position public. “The government of Colombia has requested humanitarian aid solely in the form of supplies to assist the families affected,” he wrote on social media. “We have been informed that its rescue teams, doctors and other emergency services are deployed and attending to the situation, so at this time they do not require personnel support.” El Salvador will send two cargo planes with a hundred tons of humanitarian aid.

Several governments have contingents on standby. Ecuador offered a search and rescue team of 47 personnel with specialized dogs and seven days of operational autonomy. Mexico assembled a unit with four tons of medicines and 8.4 tons of tools and rescue equipment, similar to the one deployed in Venezuela after June's earthquakes. “We are waiting for a formal request from the government of Colombia, but we are ready for the moment they tell us we can go and help,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. Chile, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala and Spain, among others, also offered assistance.

The exception is the United States, which announced 15.5 million dollars in aid for emergency shelter, food, protection and damage assessment. The State Department said it activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team on Monday, due to arrive in the country on Tuesday.

The Colombian government issued a diplomatic note on Tuesday requesting support from the international community with specific requirements, a mechanism that does not formally amount to an international appeal. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the organization remains in contact with the authorities and supports “the government-led response, as requested.” China's ambassador in Bogotá, Zhu Jingyang, called for a liaison official to be designated as soon as possible to coordinate assistance.

Colombia's emergency cooperation system is centralized in the National Disaster Risk Management Unit, which must set out requirements before the foreign ministry passes them to donors. “The government is learning on the go how the mechanism works,” said international relations scholar Sandra Borda, who added that cities cannot channel aid directly. President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on August 7, announced the appointment of geological engineer David Suárez Tamayo to head the unit.