In the midst of divisions within the government, Brazil sends humanitarian aid to Venezuelans

RIO DE JANEIRO.- Despite the divisions within his government concerning the position that Brazil should have on

Venezuela

in these delicate moments, the president

Jair Bolsonaro

He continues his commitment to participate in humanitarian aid corridors and this morning, they left the first trucks carrying drugs and food on the border with the Caribbean nation.

The crisis in Venezuela was yesterday one of the central problems of the palace of Plbadto, where Bolsonaro first consulted the holders of other powers on the direction to follow after the regime of

Nicolás Maduro

He ordered the closure of Venezuela's borders with Brazil and Colombia. The Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia, were present; of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre; and the Federal Supreme Court, José Antonio Dias Toffoli. While Alcolumbre and Dias Toffoli endorsed Brazil's initial plan of collaboration with the request for badistance by Venezuelan interim self-proclaimed President Juan Guaidó, Maia was against it and, as the military members of the government pointed out, Inclined to open a direct dialogue with Maduro to reduce the tension at the border,
where yesterday two people died and several were wounded in clashes with security forces loyal to the Caracas regime in the Venezuelan part.

After this violent clash, Bolsonaro convened an emergency meeting with his senior advisers to discuss the new scenario. Onyx Lorenzoni, Chief of Staff, and Ministers Gustavo Canuto (Regional Development), Augusto Heleno (Institutional Security Cabinet), Fernando Azevedo e Silva (Defense), Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz (Secretary General), attended the meeting . Government) and Floriano Peixoto (General Secretariat). These last four, military, have expressed objections to Brazilian action; They fear that Brazil's participation is giving bad signals as the political situation in Venezuela has already reached a natural outcome, but they have also warned that the door to US military intervention could be opened. The President then reiterated that he would not in any circumstances allow the entry of US troops into Venezuela via Brazilian territory, and ruled out that the Brazilian armed forces would take any "aggressive" initiative against the US. Venezuela.

Meanwhile, at 6:50 am, two trucks carrying drugs and food donated by the United States left Boa Vista, capital of the border state of Roraima, towards Pacaraima, some 220 km to the north. , on the border with Venezuela. as part of the international operation to provide humanitarian badistance to the Venezuelan population. Brazilian authorities have pointed out that the vehicles are Venezuelan and driven by Venezuelans – they arrived in Brazil shortly before Maduro ordered the closure of the border – but they are escorted by members of the Brazilian highway police. It is not yet known what the trucks will do when they arrive at the border crossing, because the Venezuelan side is not allowed to enter and the controls have been reinforced.

According to the presidential spokesman, Otavio Rego Barros, this first shipment of about seven tons of food and medicine could help about 6,000 people. In total, the Brazilian government hopes to help deliver 200 tons of food and medicine to Venezuela a month from now.

At a press conference held today in Pacaraima, Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo acknowledged that it was not expected that humanitarian aid would be distributed on Brazilian territory to Venezuelans who would pick it up by illegal roads at the border.