Juan Guaidó organizes humanitarian aid while Nicolás Maduro calls for a "permanent military deployment" – 16/02/2019

The leader of the Venezuelan opposition Juan Guaidó Saturday Saturday, the preparation of thousands of volunteers will help enter Venezuela, February 23, of American humanitarian aid. At the same time, the President Nicolás Maduro calls on the army to engage against a military invasion.

Long lines of people dressed in white shirts and Venezuelan flag caps were formed this Saturday morning in Los Cortijos, an area in the north-east of Caracas, where thousands of volunteers will join the call from Guaidó.

"I registered because humanitarian aid is urgent, we are doing miracles to get the drugs, I take pills to relieve the tension and I can not pay them, a parent died due to lack of money. antibiotics, "said Coromoto Crespo at AFP. 58 years old, online to join the group of volunteers.

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Recognized as acting agent for a hundred countries, he is also chairman of the Congress of the opposition majority. He redoubled his call to the army to let the help, whose collection center is Colombia and Brazil, and the Caribbean island of Curacao.

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"It's in your hands to fight alongside a people that is going through the same hardships as you," the opposition leader wrote on Twitter, addressing the soldiers.

It was shortly thereafter, in an act with the military leaders on Friday night, Maduro asked the armed forces to prepare a "special deployment plan" on the border with Colombia, in front of what he denounced as "war plans" of the governments of Donald Trump and Iván Duque.

"Let's make a special plan of permanent deployment and adjustment of the force, I ask it in a progressive way (…), a plan to maintain the national Bolivarian armed force (Fanb) mobilized for the defense of the nation "said the president in a statement. meeting with military hierarchies broadcast on VTV public television.

Although he did not give more details about the operation of this plan, nor appeared when it will be put into practice, the leader of Chavez said that he had to have tanks, missiles and soldiers of the republic, and that he was to reach "all the territory" of Venezuela.

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Quantities of drugs and food are stored since February 7 in the Colombian city of Cucuta, near the Tienditas border bridge, blocked by the Venezuelan army with containers, a tanker truck and other obstacles.

Another shipment will arrive this Saturday from Miami (United States) and another sent by Puerto Rico arrived Friday at the Colombian border; while the collection centers of Roraima (Brazil) and the Curaçao airport are being activated.

The pulse of Maduro and Guaidó for power is focused on humanitarian aid a sensitive issue in a country experiencing the worst crisis in its modern history, with a shortage of food and medicine and hyperinflation that makes it unaffordable.

Some 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled the debacle since 2015, according to the UN, although the socialist president said some 600,000 people were "deceived".

Guaidó ensures that badistance will enter "yes or yes" on February 23 it will be a month after being proclaimed acting president after the legislature declared Maduro "usurper" by denouncing his reelection as "fraudulent".

Friday, in a videoconference broadcast live via Instagram, Colombian President Duque, who describes Maduro "dictator" and "usurper", promised Guaidó to support him "decisively" for the pbadage of the Help at the border.

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But Maduro refuses help to view it as the door to a US military invasionand asked the armed forces to badess "what new forces" are needed to make the border "unimpeachable".

Maduro calls it "crumbs" of "rotten and contaminated food badistance" and blames US-imposed sanctions, which froze Venezuelan accounts and badets, causing economic damage estimated at $ 30,000 million per year Caracas.

Put the pressure on Friday The United States announced punitive measures against five Venezuelan security and intelligence agents, which add to the battery of sanctions adopted in recent months.

Maduro accused the 35-year-old opponent of being Trump's "puppet" and a "Judas" for "promoting a military invasion" and "stealing oil wealth" from the country. The Trump government has repeatedly said that it does not exclude an action by the army in Venezuela.

US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday called on the European Union (EU) to recognize Guaidó as the "only" legitimate president of Venezuela. at a time when some European countries are blocking a common bloc position.

"We must all support the Venezuelan people until freedom and democracy are restored," Pence told the Munich Security Conference.

The EU and Uruguay will send a technical mission to Venezuela in the coming days with electoral experts and humanitarian aid, as part of the international contact group (ICG).

Guaidó delegates say they have raised more than $ 100 million in aid in Venezuela over the last three weeks. Chile is also preparing tons of medicines and food.

Source: AFP and EFE

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