Guaido calls on Washington to consider ‘all options’
Guaido calls on Washington to consider ‘all options’ after Maduro blocks aid to Venezuela
“Today’s events force me to make a decision: to formally propose to the international community that we must have all options open to secure the freedom of our country,” Guaido said on Twitter.
Trucks set on fire
Venezuelan soldiers faced off against protesters who were demanding to cross the border at Ureña to go work in Colombia, according to a CNN crew that witnessed the scene at the Tienditas Bridge.
The protesters chanted, “We want to work!” as the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) fired tear gas to disperse them. Men with shirts covering their faces started throwing rocks toward the guard members.
Defections on the border
More than 60 Venezuelan security forces defected to Colombia, among them were two members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) who fled with their families, Colombian immigration authorities said.
A Venezuelan man also “turned himself in,” Colombian immigration authorities said.
Some of the troops abandoned their posts at the Simon Bolivar International Bridge on the Colombia-Venezuela border and requested help from Colombia’s immigration department.
Guaido tweeted a video he said shows Venezuelan soldiers saluting him as their commander in chief.
Maduro: ‘My patience has run out’
Maduro denies that a humanitarian crisis exists in Venezuela and suggests that aid efforts are part of a US plot to orchestrate a coup. At a large rally in Caracas on Saturday, he dared the opposition to call for elections and called Guaido a “clown” and a “US puppet.”
Maudro told supporters he is breaking all diplomatic relations with Colombia and is calling for its ambassadors and consuls to leave Venezuela.
He gave the Colombian ambassadors and consuls 24 hours to get out of the country. Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo said all the diplomats were ordered to leave immediately for their safety.
“My patience has run out. I can’t continue to tolerate the aggressions against Venezuela that are being carried out by the Colombian government,” Maduro said.
Maduro Threatens The U.S.
Maduro also threatened the United States: “If the empire dares to attack, they will be received by the strength of the Venezuelan armed forces.”
Pompeo, the US secretary of state, blasted Maduro on social media, calling him “a sick tyrant” and saying, “The U.S. will take action against those who oppose the peaceful restoration of democracy in #Venezuela. Now is the time to act in support of the needs of the desperate Venezuelan people.”
Aid stacked on Colombian border
The United States announced Friday that it was preparing to bring in aid through another route.
The United States has so far delivered batches of relief supplies to a border town in Colombia, including food and hygiene kits, ready-to-use supplementary foods and high-energy biscuits. It’s pledged $20 million to help Venezuela, and other countries including Canada, the UK and Germany have chipped in, too.
Colombian President Duque said Saturday that aid piled up in his country should be allowed into Venezuela.
“We demand that its entry is allowed in a peaceful manner to the Venezuelan territory for the benefit of those who need it,” said Duque, standing alongside Guaido at a press conference in Cucuta, Colombia, near the Venezuelan border.
