After the federal government denied humanitarian aid offered by Argentina to victims of the rains in Bahia, the state governor, Rui Costa (PT), went to social media to say that he will accept international aid even without going through normal diplomatic channels.
“Bahia will directly accept, without having to go through Brazilian diplomacy, any kind of help at this time”, published the governor.
On Wednesday (29), in his networks, the governor had already celebrated the help offered by Argentina, which pledged to send ten professionals specialized in the areas of water and sanitation, logistics and psychosocial support for victims of the disaster in the state.
“I thank the Argentines and ask the Federal Government to speed up authorization for the foreign mission,” he wrote, before learning about the federal government’s refusal to support it.
This Thursday (30), the governor, who has shown dissatisfaction with the way the Federal Executive has dealt with the issue, reinforced the need for help in Bahia.
“Bahians and Brazilians who live here in the state need all kinds of help. We are working hard, tirelessly, to rebuild the destroyed cities and houses, but the sum of efforts accelerates this process, so any help at this time is very welcome”, he said.
Bahians and Brazilians who live here in the state need all kinds of help. We are working hard, tirelessly, to rebuild the destroyed cities and houses, but the sum of efforts accelerates this process, so any help at this time is very much appreciated.
— Rui Costa (@costa_rui) December 30, 2021
The government of Bahia reported on Wednesday afternoon (29) that the total number of victims due to heavy rains in the state reached 24. The number of injured, in turn, jumped from 358 to 434. According to the Protection Superintendence and Civil Defense of Bahia (Sudec), this is the wettest December in the state since 1989, which has caused risks to the population.
About 91 thousand Bahia residents have already had to leave their homes. At the same time, the total number of people affected has reached 629.4 thousand people.
This morning, Bolsonaro went to social media to justify refusing Argentina’s offer of help. According to the president, despite Argentina’s “fraternal offer”, the Armed Forces and Civil Defense were already carrying out the work offered by the neighboring country, saying that this support would be “very expensive for Brazil”.
“The assessment was that Argentine help would not be needed at that time,” he said, noting that the country was open to international donations, and not ruling out the possibility of asking Argentines for help in case of “worsening conditions”.
In an interview with state, however, the Argentine ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Scioli, stated that Argentina would bear the costs of the aid offered. The ambassador also denied political conflicts between the countries.
Reference: CNN Brasil
