Red Cross to distribute aid in Venezuela next month
CARACAS: The Red Cross says it will begin impartially distributing aid in crisis-torn Venezuela in two weeks, brushing aside the threat of political interference amid a power struggle between President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival Juan Guaido.
Malnutrition and disease are on the rise as living conditions plummet in the oil-producing Latin American nation, which is spiralling deeper into economic chaos.
“We estimate that in a period of approximately 15 days, we will be ready to offer help,” said Francesco Rocca, head of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, on Friday.
The United States, which considers Guaido interim president along with some 50 other countries, welcomed the announcement as a “real opportunity”.
Rocca told reporters in Caracas the organisation would begin distributing aid in mid-April, including tons of mostly US food and medical supplies that Maduro has to date refused to allow into the country, leaving it stockpiled for weeks on the borders with Colombia and Brazil.
The Red Cross – aiming to reach 650,000 people initially – would act according to its principles of “impartiality, neutrality and independence,” Rocca said, “without accepting interference from anyone”.
Meanwhile, in a boost to Maduro, a Chinese plane loaded with 65 tons of medical aid landed in Caracas on Friday. His government celebrated it as a victory over US sanctions, which the socialist leader blames for the economic crisis.
Though unpopular, Maduro has the upper hand at home, thanks to loyalty from his military chiefs and, since last weekend, the presence of 100 Russian troops.
“We are overcoming the purported siege, the blockade, which has been undertaken by President Trump and the diabolical puppet from here in Venezuela,” said vice-president Tareck El Aissami, referring to Guaido.
El Aissami said the medical supplies from China was the “first cargo of several that start from this moment”.
Speaking at a news conference in Caracas, Rocca said agreements had been put in place to guarantee aid distribution. — AFP