Colombia's New Far-Right Government Faces Earthquake Crisis and International Backlash

On August 10 a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rattled western Colombia, causing extensive damage in Cali, Chocó and the port city of Buenaventura, where the majority of residents are Afro-Colombian or indigenous. Newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella, who assumed office three days earlier, prioritized foreign-policy moves that aligned Colombia with Israel and Morocco, while simultaneously ordering airstrikes against National Liberation Army camps in the Catatumbo region.

The administration declined rescue offers from El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, limiting foreign assistance to Ecuador, Israel, the United States and El Salvador. Local solidarity networks, including Indigenous federations, Afro-Colombian cultural groups, and donors such as Shakira, mobilized funds and supplies, with Óscar Benavides raising over $100,000. Critics highlighted the president’s theatrical visits, including handing out campaign-branded soccer balls, as tone-deaf amid the humanitarian emergency.