Chavista regime appeals for help from the US and IMF

At a press conference, Nicolás Maduro’s successor stated that her government is also in contact with the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, which “have already offered non-refundable cooperation to support the recovery process”, as well as “lines of credit” for Venezuela.

According to Chavista, at least 855 buildings were affected by the earthquakes, which left at least 2,595 dead and 12,400 injured.

Rodríguez noted that he has created an initial fund equivalent to US$200 million and an account at CAF — Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean — for “international donations” that will be used for housing and will be subject to “full audit mechanisms.”

Furthermore, it reported on the recent arrival of a “highly specialized and professional” team from Israel to restore infrastructure and to “assess the condition” of buildings that did not completely collapse but suffered damage.

Damage caused to homes and economic assets such as vehicles, buildings and businesses following the two earthquakes has a preliminary estimate of US$6.7 billion, according to a satellite assessment based on the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) RAPIDA (Rapid Digital Analysis) tool.

The Venezuelan regime estimates that approximately 12,800 people have lost their homes, while the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has documented 16,000 citizens who have had to find alternative housing.

Brazilian Defense Minister José Múcio visited Venezuela last Tuesday to expand humanitarian cooperation and evaluate possible initiatives related to the reconstruction of infrastructure and housing.

Opposition leader evaluates return to Venezuela amid the crisis

While the regime tries to manage the current crisis caused by the natural disaster, the Venezuelan opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, María Corina Machado, said this Friday (3) that she did not request protection to return to Venezuela.

“Neither I, nor our teams, need or request any type of protection, nor any type of resource for our safety”, declared Machado in a virtual meeting with the press.

“Everyone asks me, ‘Who’s going to take care of you?’ Well, millions of Venezuelans,” he added.

After the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on the 24th, Machado announced that he would return to the country and, later, denounced that the interim regime of Delcy Rodríguez closed the airspace to prevent his return.

According to the American newspaper The Wall Street Journalthe government of US President Donald Trump reportedly pressured Machado and barred his trip back to Venezuela for fear of a political crisis following the tremors that hit the country.

Machado said this Friday that the earthquakes, which left thousands dead, showed that Venezuela is a “failed state”.

“This week has highlighted this: the total absence of state capabilities (…). The country needs certainty,” he said.

The opponent insisted that she will return to Venezuela and highlighted that she seeks to contribute to the emergency. She also took the opportunity to express that she is “deeply grateful” to the USA and other countries that allocated resources to help the country.

Machado left Venezuela in December last year to receive the Nobel Peace Prize medal in Norway, after spending around a year in hiding to avoid being detained.

Venezuelan authorities accuse her of alleged crimes related to terrorism, conspiracy and betrayal of the country, accusations that the opposition leader rejects.