Duel concert at the Venezuelan border for humanitarian aid

Thousands of Venezuelans, including some who managed to cross the border, joined migrants from neighboring Colombia to attend a concert where several celebrities gathered to support the Venezuelan opposition and put pressure on the government. Nicolás Maduro for income from humanitarian aid to the country. In turn, the Chavismo launched the so-called "Concert of Peace", a three-day event on the Tienditas binational bridge, on the border with Colombia, with which Maduro devotees intend to to answer the recital. organized on the other side of the border – with international artists – to support the entry of tons of humanitarian aid.

The situation became more dramatic later, when opposition leader Juan Guaidó made a surprise appearance to Cucuta, defying orders that forbade him to travel abroad.

Even when thousands of people have left their homes, many of the people who remain need access to basic necessities, such as food and medicine, but Maduro insists that Opposition, Juan Guaidó, for help are just pretexts to get him out of power. Faced with this scenario, the Live Aid concert began in Cucuta, a border town in Colombia, and could not hide tensions one day before government opponents seek to implement a risky strategy to challenge the government. chaviste and enter the country. help that came together in three Venezuelan borders.

Serious incident

A few hours earlier, thousands of kilometers away, a Venezuelan military detachment opened fire on a group of civilians who wanted to maintain a border crossing between Venezuela and Brazil in order to allow them to escape. entry of humanitarian aid. Two people were killed and at least 12 others wounded, including four seriously, in the first fatal incident due to the humanitarian operation which aims to bring tons of drugs, food and supplies to Venezuela today. hui. The shootout occurred yesterday around 6:30 am when a military convoy of the Maduro regime arrived at a checkpoint set up by an indigenous community of the Pemón ethnic group in Kumarakapay, near the main border crossing point between Venezuela and Brazil. The confrontation took place a day after the Maduro government ordered the closure of the border with Brazil.

The antichavisme concert was sponsored by British billionaire Richard Branson and has deployed dozens of musicians, including Colombian star Juanes, Argentine Diego Torres, Venezuelan José Luis "El Puma" Rodríguez and Mexican Paulina Rubio, among others. "If we can take people into space, why is it so hard to get people out of poverty?" Said Branson at the start of the concert in Cucuta. Abandoning the order of the Supreme Court not to leave the country, Guaidó attended the concert in Cúcuta, at the same time as the Colombian presidents Iván Duque; that of Paraguay, Mario Abdo and that of Chile, Sebastián Piñera. Although Maduro denies the existence of a humanitarian crisis, the opposition's plan to bring help to Venezuelans is the most ambitious that it has implemented since that Guaidó, the head of Parliament, declared himself acting president on 23 January.

To get to the concert, thousands of Venezuelans entered Colombia through a bush and stream area, far from the usual border crossing point. There were no soldiers or policemen in the area to prevent their pbadage. "This concert takes place once in a lifetime, poor people who take their sunshine, without food, without work, so much suffering and finally joy," said Shirlet Durán, a 19-year-old Venezuelan. Reymar Perdomo, a Venezuelan migrant who became famous for the song "I left", which became the unofficial hymn of Venezuelans who fled their country due to the economic crisis.

As the Venezuelan political turmoil continues, Guaidó's allies, recognized as the country's legitimate president by fifty countries, hope that the gigantic concert and effort to bring in humanitarian aid will mark a turning point in the consolidation of the country. this. a transitional government. However, Maduro has shown no sign of giving in. "I think one of the government's goals is to scramble the cards, to create a kind of chaos that gives a bad image of the opposition," said Phil Gunson, an badyst at Crisis Group in Caracas, about the Maduro concert. "It's a propaganda war."

Branson agreed to approve the concert this month after being contacted by Guaidó, Leopoldo López – an opposition leader under house arrest – and others. Branson's goal is to raise $ 100 million in 60 days, like the Live Aid Concert of 1985, which raised funds to alleviate a famine in Ethiopia.

About 600 tons of aid, mostly from the United States, were located for two weeks in a warehouse of the famous International Bridge Tienditas.

Help with the operation. Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in Cúcuta to see and hear international singers.