Venezuela Faces Violent Showdown As Guaido Escorts Aid Trucks Across Border

Unrest in Venezuela is intensifying at border crossings with Colombia after embattled President Nicolas Maduro declared the borders with both Colombia and Brazil closed late this week, and after violence at a border town near the border with Brazil left two dead and 17 injured when national guard soldiers opened fire on a group of civilians  attempting to keep open a segment of the southern border with Brazil for deliveries of humanitarian aid.

On Saturday CNN crews filmed confrontations between protesters and Venezuela’s National Guard at Ureña near Colombia over demands of workers to cross into the neighboring country to work. 

Source: Bloomberg Business’ Andy Rosati via Twitter from Ureña. “Blocked by national guard, what was meant to be a peaceful protest in Venezuela is turning increasingly violent. Masked protesters hijacked a government bus and set it a blaze trying to break the soldiers’ barricade.”

“We want to work!” protesters chanted before being dispersed by tear gas and rubber bullets, after which the crowd hurled stones at the soldiers. Some among the crowed tried to dismantle a metal barrier blocking the Simon Bolivar international bridge, one of three major cross-border bridge near Urena, one of which has never been opened and was used by the US administration to claim Maduro had blockaded the country against outside aid. 

It’s also at this location that three members of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) defected to the Colombian side on Saturday morning, later confirmed by Colombian authorities, but condemned by Caracas as an act orchestrated and staged by the opposition. 

Tensions appear to be coming to head this weekend as previously US-backed Juan Guaido promised to personally lead caravans to ensure aid is brought in from both Colombia and Brazil, in order to undermine and otherthrow the Maduro government.

Footage emerged on Saturday which appears to confirm that “Interim President” Juan Guaido is present at the Tienditas International Bridge which connects Tachira, Venezuela with Norte de Santander, Colombia.

Guaido is vowing to break the border blockade by personally entering Venezuela with an aid convoy. 

He’s reportedly there with with Colombian president, Iván Duque and President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera — all of which are promising to facilitate the entry of aid. 

Meanwhile as unrest at multiple border towns in Venezuela grows, Maduro called on Venezuelans to “mobilize” Saturday. “Let’s all take to the streets to defend our independence with conscience and joy,” he said via his official Twitter account.

Juan Guaido on the Colombian side of the Tienditas International Bridge Saturday.

This further comes a day after British billionaire Richard Branson sponsored a Live Aid-inspired show in Cucuta, Colombia, involving popular Latin American singers and appearances by the presidents of Colombia, Chile, and Paraguay.

Guaido himself also made a surprise appearance at the end of the concert in defiance of a ban on him leaving Venezuela. 

According to the AP, Guaido may have traveled across the border on a Colombian air force helicopter:

It’s not clear how Guaido sneaked into Colombia — in one video circulating on social media he appears running across a bridge near the Colombian town of Puerto Santander, while in another he could be seen boarding a helicopter belonging to the Colombian air force.

Last week, Guaido warned that Maduro had until February 23 to allow aid into the country, which in the US was echoed by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who told Axios on Wednesday that Saturday could ultimately decide the fate of Maduro as the standoff over aid comes to a head, given the opposition is ready to force the issue in as visible way as possible. 

The provocative actions undermine Maduro’s power have been acknowledged as just that by the opposition, who’ve recently openly stated that the “humanitarian channel” is a direct political jab at Caracas. Though the tons of much needed aid, including food and medicine supplies, is reportedly piling up along border points especially in Colombia, it’s anything but merely “benevolent” – the opposition acknowledges. 

“The impact of the humanitarian aid is highly political,” Juan Miguel Matheus, an MP for the opposition told CNN earlier this week. “Our first and primary goal is to provide relief for the Venezuelan population, but after that, with this move we want to checkmate Maduro.”

“If the aid gets in, Maduro is shown to have lost control of the situation; if it doesn’t get in, we show that Maduro doesn’t care for the suffering of the people,” he added.

The spotlight remains this weekend on Cucuta, where US aid shipments are being gathered and staged for delivery. Meanwhile national security adviser John Bolton has canceled a planned trip to South Korea to “focus on events in Venezuela.”

developing…

via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2TaFQqQ Tyler Durden

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