The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has posted on social media:
“We accompanied the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace (@justiciapazcolombia) on a tour of areas affected by the earthquake in Buenaventura, with the aim of assessing the damage and hearing first-hand about the communities’ needs. The visit included the Lleras neighbourhood and the Puente Nayero Humanitarian Centre, as well as rural communities in the Bajo San Juan area: the Wounaan Indigenous Reserve and the Community Council of the Black Community of Cabeceras.
During the tour, donations from a Mexican organization were also handed over, intended to support the affected communities. Today, solidarity and collective commitment are needed, but above all, an effective response from state institutions, which have a responsibility to guarantee care, protection and the rights of those living in these territories.
Through our support work, we reaffirm our commitment to defending human rights, protecting communities and creating conditions that allow their voices to be heard.”
Just three weeks ago, CBC News reported: “A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday [August 10], killing at least 111 people, damaging hundreds of buildings and leaving many trapped under debris while their loved ones and rescue workers searched through rubble.”
Last week, the United Nations stated that the earthquake had “left 331 people dead, 4,449 injured and 219 missing”.
And Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) notes: “Although the earthquake [three weeks ago] severely affected cities such as Cali and Pereira, the most critical gaps remain in areas that have long faced poverty, barriers to healthcare, and the presence of armed groups. In parts of Quibdó and Medio Baudó in Chocó, as well as Buenaventura in Valle del Cauca, where conditions were already precarious before the disaster, the earthquake has further exacerbated existing needs.”
El Mundo further specifies: “Buenaventura, a district in the department of Valle del Cauca (southwest), was one of the areas most affected by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that shook Colombia on August 10 and left 26 dead, 476 injured, 38,175 people affected, 9,362 homes damaged and 4,265 uninhabitable, a scenario that aggravates the conditions of vulnerability in which a large part of its 320,000 inhabitants live.”
That article notes that “FARC and National Liberation Army (ELN) dissidents operate [in Buenaventura], as well as the criminal gangs Los Espartanos and Los Shottas, among other groups.”
Immediately after the earthquake, Global Affairs Canada posted on social media: “Canada is deeply saddened by the loss of lives and devastation caused by the earthquake in #Colombia. Our heart is with all those affected. We are monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide assistance as appropriate.”
On August 26, the Government of Canada announced: “Canada is providing more than $2 million in funding to support emergency relief efforts in response to the earthquake. …This funding for emergency response builds on the almost $8.5 million in funding for ongoing humanitarian assistance that was allocated by Canada earlier this year to respond to ongoing humanitarian needs in Colombia.”
The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) in Colombia appears to have prioritized international support for the search and rescue of victims from the United States, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Israel.
We continue to follow this.
Additional reading: PBI-Canada joins with PBI-Colombia in expressing our full solidarity with those impacted by the earthquake this week (August 12, 2026).
