Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella has provoked public outrage by distributing branded footballs to families made homeless by a devastating magnitude-7.4 earthquake. Instead of providing essential humanitarian supplies like food and medicine, the president’s actions in Buenaventura are being criticized as a political stunt.
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella has sparked public outrage after distributing branded promotional items, including footballs, instead of essential humanitarian supplies to families left homeless and struggling following the devastating magnitude-7.4 earthquake.
On August 10, Colombia witnessed a devastating earthquake that struck the western and central departments of the country, reportedly leaving over 300 people dead and nearly 5000 victims injured following the powerful tremor. The disaster also caused widespread destruction, leaving thousands of homes damaged and forcing families to shift to temporary shelters.
However, the devastation after the magnitude-7.4 earthquake forced families to confront severe shortages of food, medicine, and adequate shelter, leaving critics to question the administration’s priorities amidst a mounting national crisis.
Also Read: Shakira pledges to rebuild schools in earthquake-hit Choco, Colombia
Colombia President Tosses Footballs Instead of Humanitarian Supplies
As Colombia has been struck with a massive humanitarian crisis, powerful tremors across the country, especially in the western regions of Choco, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, and Caldas, left tens of thousands of families affected and created an urgent need for food, water, shelter, and medical assistance.
However, the public became outraged after the Colombian president Abelardo De La Espriella arrived at one of the worst-hit coastal shelters in Buenaventura, where he began distributing and tossing footballs bearing his political movement’s logo rather than delivering crucial food, clean water, or medicine to the struggling families.
He was even spotted wearing a shirt that featured the logo of his political movement, sparking an outcry among the affected people and drawing further criticism over the perceived use of the relief visit for political promotion, with many questioning why branded merchandise was being distributed to earthquake survivors instead of essential humanitarian aid.
The Colombian government’s response to the earthquake has come under increasing scrutiny, with the distribution of footballs becoming a major flashpoint. The balls reportedly carried the Defensores de la Patria logo, the political movement associated with De La Espriella, who visited Buenaventura amid the humanitarian crisis.
Critics accused the president of turning a relief visit into a political publicity exercise, particularly as thousands of families were still dealing with damaged homes and shortages of essential supplies.
‘A Lot of Misery and Disgrace to Us’
One of the victims, who witnessed the Colombian president distributing footballs instead of humanitarian aid, sharply criticised the gesture, stating that children were in hospitals while schools remained closed and the healthcare system faced a crisis. The victim also questioned the decision to spend more than 1 billion pesos on branded footballs while children were starving and families needed essential aid.
“Today, we are going to talk about how to put a blessed logo on the ball that is there. Meanwhile, the children are in the hospital, in the clinic. Here we have a health crisis, a crisis in education. 26 have been shut down,” the victim said in anger.
“The hospital is in a state of health crisis. And how is it possible that people receive a ball with a logo that was spent more than a thousand million pesos while the children are starving? That is a lot of misery, and that is a disgrace to us.” The victim added.
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Meanwhile, the Colombian government, under the leadership of Abelardo De La Espriella, has reportedly sought to project an active response to the crisis, but faced criticism over its handling of relief efforts and the perceived politicisation of the disaster response.
Also Read: Colombia declares economic emergency after earthquake kills over 265