International
The Government of Colombia denies having given money to the ELN through corrupt contracts
The Colombian Government rejected on Wednesday the accusations of the former director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) Olmedo López, who assured in statements to Justice that the guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN) received money from the State through contracts of this entity, immersed in a corruption scandal.
This was stated by the delegation of the Government that negotiates peace with the ELN in a statement in which he pointed out that “as we have reiterated in all circumstances, the demand on the ELN to suspend the practice of kidnapping for economic reasons that the National Government has formulated has never been subject to any offer of consideration or economic benefits.”
The negotiators emphasize that “all the actions in progress of the peace process with the ELN have strictly adhered to the principle of legality that means respect for the Constitution and the laws in force.”
In a statement he gave last month to investigators of the Supreme Court of Justice, revealed last Tuesday by Noticias Caracol, López, who is being investigated for several cases of corruption during his management in the UNGRD, said: “This is a network that includes from ministers to contractors, but in the middle there are other officials (…) and it touches an actor who has a very strong military capacity.”
“The name that says that role that I showed the Prosecutor’s Office and that reads in the summary of my statement (…) is the ELN and its great influence in the department of Arauca (border with Venezuela),” López added.
The former director of the UNGRD recalled that last December, in the fifth cycle of the peace negotiation held in Mexico City, the Government and the ELN agreed that this armed group would cease kidnappings for economic purposes.
However, last May, when the corruption scandal had already broken out and López was no longer director of the Unit, the guerrillas “ended” the suspension of kidnappings for economic purposes, considering that the Executive has failed to comply with the creation of a “multi-donor fund for the peace process.”
In that direction, López assured the investigators: “they issued a statement a few months ago: ‘we return to the kidnappings because they have not guaranteed the maintenance of the men’ (…) and how were they going to guarantee it? With contracts.”
After this, the former official pointed out that a UNGRD contract was delivered to the representative of the Chamber Karen Manrique, of the department of Arauca, an area “of a high guerrilla influence of the ELN.”
In their statement, the Government’s peace negotiators recalled that all the issues that are negotiated with the ELN are framed in the legality and that, in addition, there is “permanent observation of the international community” as are the guarantor and accompanying countries, the UN and the Catholic Church.
“The contents of each of the sessions of the Dialogue Table, the working commissions and the meetings of the heads of the delegations, are duly recorded in the working minutes signed by both delegations and the representatives of the international community,” the document emphasizes.
For his part, the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, said on social networks that in the peace negotiations with the ELN “they have only achieved a first point of political commitment, any funding with the ELN, as happened with the FARC, would take place in the final phase with the definitive demobilization of violence and would never be given through public procurement.”
The president assured that “Olmedo’s falsehood is that he desperately needs to denounce to lower his sentence, without returning the stolen money.”
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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