President Nicolas Maduro’s security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday on a crowd awaiting the distribution of humanitarian aid at the Venezuela-Colombia border as tensions spiked ahead of an opposition deadline to bring in food and medical aid. “We want to work!” people chanted as they faced Venezuelan National Guard riot police blocking the crossing at the Urena border bridge to Colombia, one of several ordered closed Maduro late Friday. In the confusion, […]
Tag: Maduro
Venezuela’s Guaido defies travel ban as aid row turns deadly
by Rodrigo Almonacid with Esteban Rojas in Urena Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido claimed the military helped him defy a travel ban by the government of President Nicolas Maduro as he joined thousands over the Colombian border on Friday for a charity concert to push for humanitarian aid deliveries. Maduro is trying to prevent food and medicines, mainly from the US, from entering the country as tensions over access to the supplies turned deadly elsewhere. […]
Maduro shuts border with Brazil as Guaido goes in search of aid
by Maria Isabel Sanchez Agence France Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — President Nicolas Maduro ordered the closure of Venezuela’s border with Brazil on Thursday in an increasingly fraught power struggle with Juan Guaido, the opposition leader spearheading efforts to bring humanitarian aid into the country despite a military blockade. Guaido set out in a convoy of vehicles to personally pick up US aid being stockpiled on the other side of the Colombian border, defying Maduro’s […]
Venezuela aid standoff hardens between Guaido, Maduro
by Roland LLOYD PARRY Agence France Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido forged ahead Wednesday with plans to bring US medical and food aid into the country in defiance of the military-backed government, raising fears of possible weekend confrontations. In the latest maneuver of his standoff with socialist President Nicolas Maduro, self-declared interim leader Guaido rallied bus drivers who he said will head to the borders to collect aid for Venezuelans […]
Venezuela’s Maduro rejects European ultimatum to call vote
by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ Agence France Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro flatly rejected Sunday a call by European countries to call snap elections after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the Latin American country’s interim leader. Maduro said in an interview with Spanish television station Sexta that he would not “cave in to pressure” from those calling for his departure. “They are trying to corner us with ultimatums to force us into […]
Venezuela’s Guaido pressures Maduro over humanitarian aid
by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ Agence France Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — The clock ticked down Sunday on a deadline for Venezuela’s beleaguered leader Nicolas Maduro to call snap presidential elections or see his opposition rival Juan Guaido recognized as interim president by European powers. Guaido, already recognized by the United States, Canada, Australia and several Latin American countries, said Sunday he would lobby the European Union for badly-needed humanitarian aid to a nation wracked by […]
US urges Venezuela’s Maduro to accept amnesty
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday urged Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro to accept an amnesty offer from opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom Washington has recognized as president. “I wish Nicolas Maduro and his top advisors a long, quiet retirement, living on a nice beach somewhere far from Venezuela,” national security advisor John Bolton tweeted. “They should take advantage of President Guaido’s amnesty and move on. The sooner the better,” he said. Guaido […]
Venezuela opposition cling to social media lifeline
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Deprived almost entirely of coverage on mainstream media, Venezuela’s self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido has been deftly using the social networks to woo support, but even that avenue is increasingly being cut off. Mainstream media is off-limits to the opposition leader, says Andres Canizalez, a political scientist at Andres Bello Catholic University. “Today in Venezuela, if a radio or television station wants to stay on air, they cannot talk about Guaido,” he […]
Maduro rival Guaido says taking control of Venezuela’s foreign assets
by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ Agence France Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido said Monday he was taking control of the country’s foreign assets as he piled pressure on leader Nicolas Maduro by calling for a new wave of protests against the embattled regime. Guaido, the opposition leader who has declared himself the country’s ruler amid violent anti-government protests, says “usurper” Maduro’s rule is illegitimate and wants to set up a […]
Maduro rejects call for elections amid mounting pressure
by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ Agence France Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday rejected a European ultimatum that he call elections as opposition rival Juan Guaido stepped up appeals to the military to turn against the leftist government. The United States, meanwhile, warned there would be a “significant response” if US diplomats, Guaido, or the opposition-controlled National Assembly were targeted with violence and intimidation. The shot across the bows came after […]
Venezuela’s military backs Maduro, as standoff hardens with US
Venezuela’s powerful military threw its weight behind Nicolas Maduro on Thursday as the US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido pressed a direct challenge to his authority, and the fate of the crisis-wracked country hung in the balance. As the death toll from days of street protests jumped to 26, a defiant Maduro announced the closure of Venezuela’s embassy and consulates in the United States, a day after President Donald Trump’s administration declared his regime “illegitimate.” The oil-rich […]
Pompeo warns Venezuela’s Maduro against use of force
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday warned Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro not to use force against mass demonstrations and urged further international support for the self-declared acting president. A day after the United States and major Latin American nations recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the acting president, Pompeo pressed his case at a special meeting of the Organization of American States. “The time for debate is done. The […]





