Washington, Apr 3 (EFE).- The United States on Wednesday sent to the Caribbean island of Curacao more than two tons of sanitary kits for the Venezuelan people, marking the first time that the island has been used to position humanitarian aid, which the Caracas government of Nicolas Maduro has so far refused to accept.
On a flight from the Netherlands that was scheduled to arrive Wednesday afternoon in Curacao, the US sent four kits of emergency health assistance with medicines and medical supplies, the US State Department said.
“The four 1,200-pound kits, which can cover the health needs of 40,000 people for three months, will help address the shortages of basic emergency supplies in Venezuelan hospitals and health centers,” the department added in its statement.
The aim is to alleviate the difficulties of the “people of Venezuela, who continue to suffer from the former Maduro regime’s corruption and gross mismanagement of the economy.”
The government in Amsterdam has provided support in delivering this aid to Curacao, an autonomous Caribbean territory linked to the Netherlands and located just a few kilometers (miles) off the western Venezuelan coast, the document stated.
The four sanitary kits were manufactured in the Netherlands and contain medicines and medical supplies, including bandages, gauze, latex gloves, thermometers and syringes, the US Agency for International Development said in another communique.
Earlier this year, the US stationed more than 540 metric tons of aid earmarked for Venezuela in Colombia and Brazil, the State Department said.
The plan to move this aid into Venezuela on Feb. 23 ended in confrontations between Venezuelan opposition members and forces loyal to the Maduro regime, which refused to allow entry into the country.
The State Department explained this new aid shipment by noting that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized as the country’s interim president by more than 50 nations, and the National Assembly or Parliament that he heads, are prioritizing the immediate need for international humanitarian assistance.
The US will continue responding to this request and supporting the peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela, the department said.
USAID, meanwhile, said that the Maduro regime must allow this basic aid to enter Venezuela.
The State Department added that Washington is coordinating its efforts with governments in the region and with US regional humanitarian partners to ensure secure and efficient logistics so that the aid can ultimately get to the Venezuelan people.