Mike Pompeo urged Nicolás Maduro to reopen the border with Colombia to receive humanitarian aid

The head of the American diplomacy, Mike PompeoOn Sunday, he launched a new wave of criticism of Nicolás Maduro's regime and asked him to reopen the border with Colombia so that Venezuelans could receive essential help.

At the end of a tour to Chile, Paraguay and Peru, the secretary of state stopped a few hours in Cucuta to meet with President Iván Duque and visit the border region between Colombia and Venezuela.

Pompeo said he heard about the tragedy of Venezuelans who have to cross the border to get supplies in Colombia – due to a shortage of commodities and hyperinflation – thanks to the testimony of 39, a woman whom he identified as Geraldine.

For him, urged Maduro to reopen crossing points so Venezuelans can receive medical and food badistance, although without ceasing to warn the chavist leader so that he "ends the usurpation" and leaves the power.

"Mr. Maduro: open these bridges, open these borders, you can finish today"Pompeo said in a statement to the press, accompanied by Duke.

Maduro ordered the closure and blockade of the four bridges that connect Venezuela to Cucuta on February 22, on the eve of a frustrated operation of the opposition aimed at receiving badistance provided by the United States. He prevented the entry of these donations as a pretext for a US military invasion of the country with the largest oil reserves in the world.

In an interview with the agency EFEPompeo gave details of his visit to Cúcuta and the growing pressure on Maduro. "We visited one of the migrant reception centers, I spoke to children from families who fled the appalling conditions imposed by Maduro .It was really an opportunity to them. talking about what was their life before and after, how they ended up under Maduro. I think every minute, every hour is a step closer to Maduro's departure. All Venezuelans want the restoration of democracy, the opportunity to live, work, be with their families, and Maduro denies it. The Russians are not going to help, the Cubans are worse. I hope that there will soon be a change"he said.

During his tour of South America, the diplomatic officer refined the diplomatic and economic headquarters led by the United States and their allies against Maduro, who clings to the military and support from Russia to stay in power. "Maduro must know that we are watching and our support will not falter. Democratic actors in Venezuela will not be deterred"said Pompeo.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza reacted on Twitter to the statements of the Secretary of State. "The degree of cynicism of @SecPompeo is too shameful.The consequences of the criminal blockade of his government against Venezuela are quantifiable (…). And with his face so washed, he insists on the false humanitarian aid of the show Cucuta", he wrote.

On Monday 15, the Lima group, an alliance of 13 Latin American and Canadian countries, met in Santiago to follow the Venezuelan crisis.

For its part, Pompeo has tried to appease the criticism made by President Donald Trump against the allied government of Duke for doing nothing to reduce drug shipments in the United States since he came to power in August .

"The United States will continue to work with you to end the problem of coca production you have inherited, we know what we should do, and they will do their part to reduce the demand for illicit drugs," said Pompeo. .

In turn, the Colombian president emphasized what Pompeo had said about the shared responsibility of the two countries. "We must continue on the basis of trust, building this shared effort, because that is what it is, on the demand side, that the side of the" offer, that on the money-laundering side, the two countries produce we need results because it's a common threat, "said Duque.

(With information from AFP)