Tuesday 30 April 2019 12:00 am | Updated: Monday 03 June 2019 12:15 am

Go to Venezuela and see the humanitarian crisis, Colombian ambassador urges Maduro’s UK backers

UK backers of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro should visit the South American country to see the reality of the devastating economic mismanagement which has forced millions to flee their homes, according to the Colombian ambassador to the UK.

In an exclusive interview with City PM, Antonio José Ardila hit out at those who continue to offer political support to Maduro while South America is struggling to cope with more than three million refugees who have fled Venezuela.

A million of those have settled in Colombia, and Ardila claimed the humanitarian crisis is on a scale not seen before on the continent.

The UK has today announced it is pumping £8m into a dedicated World Bank fund to help Colombia deal with the crisis, with the money being used to help fund infrastructure developments and provide other vital support for the refugees.

Speaking to City PM in the Colombian embassy in Knightsbridge, Ardila was clear that it was the Venezuelan government’s catastrophic mishandling of the country’s economy that had caused the crisis.

Yet despite a swathe of world leaders calling on Maduro to stand down as president to allow democrat elections to take place, prominent figures on the left in the UK – such as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – have refused to make such a demand.

Ardila has a simple message for them: “Go to Venezuela and look at the conditions that these people are living under. Go to a hospital in Venezuela and go and get treatment there. Travel there, see what the conditions are like.

“Venezuela is a country that had one of, if not the best, infrastructure in South America, so we’re talking about something that has gone downhill to an incredible degree."

When asked if believed those defending Maduro were doing so because of a fondness for the country's traditionally socialist economic policies, Ardila says: “They should take a look at see what reality is like when a person for example has cancer, has HIV and he has for many years been able to get the drugs in a certain place close to his home.

“Now he has to travel hundreds of kilometres, go into Colombia to get any treatment. That makes life a little difficult – very, very difficult.”

He adds: “They have mismanaged the country, they have stolen enormous amounts of wealth, you have a group of military that are becoming very wealthy, that’s the way the system works and that supports the regime.”

Venezuela has been gripped by political crisis since January, when the National Assembly ruled Maduro’s victory in the 2018 election was invalid.

The body’s leader, Juan Guaido, was declared the new president, but despite backing from the vast majority of South America, the USA and the UK, Maduro was able to retain the loyalty of the army and cling on to power.

Crucially for the regime, it still has the support of Russia and China.

As well as giving financial aid, the UK is also providing expertise on the ground to help the Colombians deal with the crisis.

“These are conditions that have not been seen in the continent, in the Americas, ever. It’s something we have never experienced and we have very little knowledge about,” the ambassador says, adding: “The UK is helping us enormously.”

Announcing the aid, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said: “Colombia has shown tremendous generosity in helping the citizens of its neighbour Venezuela.

“This package will help support the region as it copes with providing help for Venezuelans forced to flee their homes. And it will also help foster trading partners of the future for the UK.”