Venezuela’s Military Response to Earthquake Devastation Draws Criticism as Foreign Aid Arrives

President Delcy Rodríguez’s announcement to “militarize” La Guaira, the hardest-hit state by recent earthquakes, raised hopes for organized rescue operations and heavy machinery deployment. However, residents in the affected region have expressed frustration over the limited involvement of military forces.

In La Guaira, armed personnel were primarily observed managing traffic on major avenues rather than engaging in rescue or debris removal. Similar patterns emerged in northern towns like Catia Las Mar, Los Corales, and Caraballeda, where security forces focused on street patrols and victim body transportation but showed little engagement in lifesaving operations.

Local civilians took matters into their own hands, using shovels, pickaxes, and borrowed tools to search for trapped individuals. Injured survivors were often transported to medical facilities via private vehicles instead of official emergency services.

Rodríguez emphasized the military’s presence in state broadcasts, claiming road clearance efforts, but offered no clarity on operational roles or curfew enforcement. The government has since highlighted rescue activities on official media, though residents argue that initial rescue efforts were led by locals working late into the night.

Social media users criticized the Venezuelan military’s minimal participation as foreign aid resources and personnel flowed in. Opposition leader María Corina Machado condemned the government’s “lack of emergency response capacities,” citing abandoned communities and people trapped under rubble. Opposition members further voiced concerns about potential military interference in aid distribution, reflecting widespread distrust of the armed forces amid ongoing investigations into human rights abuses by UN authorities.

Source link