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La ayuda humanitaria no es una limosna, es un derecho. El régimen de Maduro está condenando a muerte a los venezolanos al bloquearla.

María Corina Machado París

Statement during the 2019 humanitarian aid standoff at the Colombia-Venezuela border. · Checked on 4 March 2026
La ayuda humanitaria no es una limosna, es un derecho. El régimen de Maduro está condenando a muerte a los venezolanos al bloquearla.

Analysis

International humanitarian and human‑rights law obliges states to allow access to humanitarian assistance, so calling aid a right aligns with legal norms. However, attributing deaths solely to the government's refusal to let aid cross the border exaggerates the causal link; Venezuelans have suffered due to a broader economic and political crisis, not just the blocked aid shipments.

Background

In early 2019, the Venezuelan government rejected several cross‑border aid convoys, leading to a standoff at the Colombia‑Venezuela border. The United Nations and NGOs documented severe shortages of food and medicine, but also noted that the crisis stemmed from years of mismanagement and sanctions, not only the blocked aid deliveries.

Verdict summary

The statement correctly notes that humanitarian aid is a recognized right, but overstates the impact by claiming the Maduro regime is directly condemning Venezuelans to death by blocking it.

Sources consulted

— United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, "Humanitarian Access and the Right to Assistance" (2020)
— International Committee of the Red Cross, "Humanitarian Action in Venezuela" (2021)
— Human Rights Watch, "Venezuela: Government Blocks Humanitarian Aid" (February 2019)