The US Treasury Department is moving to issue General License 60 through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), creating a pathway for humanitarian organizations to support earthquake relief in Venezuela without running afoul of existing sanctions. The move comes after twin earthquakes devastated the South American nation on June 24, leaving a trail of destruction that Venezuelan authorities are still struggling to fully assess.
The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale, struck northwestern and central Venezuela near San Felipe and Yaracuy at approximately 18:04 local time. At least 188 people are confirmed dead, more than 1,520 injured, and over 45,000 remain missing. Venezuela has declared a state of emergency as aftershocks continue to rattle the region.
What General License 60 actually does
General licenses are OFAC’s workaround. Rather than requiring every aid organization to apply for individual exemptions, a general license acts as a blanket authorization, telling banks, NGOs, and logistics companies they can do a specific thing without asking first.
General License 60 would authorize activities specifically tied to earthquake relief efforts, effectively carving a humanitarian corridor through the sanctions framework. Previous OFAC general licenses related to Venezuela have focused narrowly on oil-sector authorizations, making this a notable expansion in scope. Official confirmation of this license has not yet been made public, suggesting that details are still being finalized.
