Five urgent questions and answers on Venezuela today – 22/02/2019

1- Why is Nicolás Maduro's government rejecting humanitarian aid?

– The Chavez regime denies the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and that is why he says that help is not necessary. Maduro denounces the fact that these food and medicine shipments are a "show" to hide the true intention of the US government's Donald Trump, which would be to launch a military invasion of the Caribbean country. The opposition and the countries that have mobilized to send donations – in particular the United States, Colombia and Brazil – say that these shipments are essential to prevent more Venezuelans from dying of malnutrition or diseases that could be avoided if the shortage of medicines was not urgent. and medical supplies. To put pressure on the Chávez regime, the opposition organized a concert in Cúcuta, Colombia, in which at least 40 international artists and thousands of participants took part.

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2- Why was this date chosen for the entry of help?

-This Saturday, February 23, a month has elapsed since the opponent Juan Guaidó, president of the Venezuelan parliament, has been proclaimed acting president of the country after declaring Maduro "usurper" of the presidency, relying on the country's Magna Carta. Chavez's leader took on January 10 a second six-year term, whose legitimacy does not recognize the opposition and is part of the international community, as it results from the elections of May 2018 to which the main leaders of the opposition did not participate because they were prisoners. or disabled. These elections have also not been recognized by much of the world community.

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3- Why all this opposition?

-Guaidó has prioritized the entry of aid to help 250,000 people in vulnerable situations, in the context of the economic crisis that is hitting the oil country. With hyperinflation reaching 10 000 000% this year, according to the IMF, with high unemployment rates and shortages of food, medicine and other essential products, millions of Venezuelans would have no choice but to to survive humanitarian aid. But in addition, with all this operation, what Guaidó is looking for, the People's Will Party must position itself as a leader and lead a "transitional government," while urging Maduro to call early elections.

4- What can happen this Saturday?

The opposition guarantees that "yes or yes" will go into the help. The Colombian authorities have so far received some 600 tons of humanitarian aid for Venezuela, mainly from the United States and Puerto Rico, official sources said. The cargo is waiting in the Colombian city of Cucuta, bordering Venezuela. Collection centers have also been set up in Roraima (Brazil) and on the Caribbean island of Curacao. The Maduro regime closed the border with Brazil on Thursday and planned to do the same with Colombia to block the entry of this aid. The armed forces, Maduro's support, are stationed at the border posts. According to the Colombian police, the 2,200 km border between Venezuela and Colombia includes about thirty illegal marches, in addition to the Simón Bolívar bridge, the main pedestrian crossing between Cúcuta and San Antonio Táchira. It is not known whether the army will prevent or control the entry of donations through the porous border between Colombia and Venezuela. "We do not exclude anything," Guaidó said about whether help could finally go through these illegal points.

5- Who supports Maduro and who Guaidó to the world council?

Following the proclamation of Guaidó as interim president on January 23, the US government was the first to recognize it as such. Almost all of the Lima group, which includes 14 American countries, including Argentina and Canada, with the exception of Mexico and Uruguay, was subsequently created. They then added European countries, such as Spain, France, Germany and Great Britain. The European Union has not recognized Guaidó as a bloc, with some countries, including Italy, opposing it. But he urged Maduro to call elections. In addition, Russia and China have become the main allies of the Chavez regime, two important UN actors. They also support Maduro Bolivia, Nicaragua and Cuba.

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