Venezuela: the first American aid trucks arrive at the border blocked by Maduro | News from the world

The first trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Venezuela arrived in Cúcuta, a border town in Colombia, while opponents of Nicolás Maduro stepped up their efforts to further isolate the president at war.

The convoy of two large articulated trucks and seven smaller trucks reached Tienditas International Bridge on Thursday, one day after the Venezuelan authorities blocked transport containers and a fuel tanker.

Maduro denies the existence of a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and members of his government have denounced humanitarian aid as a foreign plot destined to destabilize their government.

Opposition activists and their supporters in the United States admit that aid shipments are part of an effort to remove the Venezuelan army from the warring president.

Jerking up, as they were pbading in front of a parade of reporters, the trucks stopped outside a warehouse where help will be stored until they arrived. it can be delivered.

A handful of protesters gathered to greet the help trucks, waving placards and shouting "Maduro out". One of them carried a sign saying: "The best humanitarian aid is to get rid of the cancer called Nicolás Maduro."

US Senator Marco Rubio, who played an active role in the formulation of Donald Trump's policy in Venezuela, tweeted Thursday: "More than 50 tons of humanitarian aid from the United States is now in Colombia. Post-Maduro future of military leaders in Venezuela will largely depend on whether or not this aid is allowed to reach the population. "

According to the United Nations, 3 million people have fled the country since 2015 to escape chronic shortages of food and medicine, the collapse of health care and transportation systems, and a plummeting economy.

Miguel Pizarro, an opposition MP who coordinates the aid operation, told the Guardian that the blockage of the bridge underscored how desperately Venezuela needed an "orderly transition" .

"We are talking about saving lives, we are providing solutions for many people who have no other help, who do not have people who send them from abroad, who do not have money for alternatives, "he said.

The United States pledged $ 20 million to Venezuela, but badysts say it will do little to alleviate food shortages.

"Twenty million dollars barely scratch the surface of Venezuela's needs," said Adam Isacson, security expert at the Washington office for Latin America. "So it's mainly about optics. And it is wise to try to weaken the loyalty of the Venezuelan army to Maduro by putting the armed forces in a position where they must obey a disgusting order: block food and medicine. Whether he blocks it or lets it in, it's a loser situation for Maduro. "

Cúcuta has been under increasing pressure in recent years as a result of the crisis: hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have pbaded through the city, straining the resources of the local government.

The border town has become the epicenter of a standoff between an international coalition of Western democracies that support self-proclaimed interim President Juan Guaidó against Maduro and his supporters in Russia, China, Cuba and in Turkey.

Venezuelan opposition members at the city's Casino Internacional have not yet figured out how to send aid shipments. "That's the million dollar question," said one member. "I hope we will understand this quickly because it is a point of inflection of the history of our country."

A Colombian official familiar with the talks – which also takes place at a higher level between Washington, Bogotá and Guaidó's team in Caracas – said all options remained on the table. "They could even be flown in," he said, adding that "this would not be an attack on Venezuela's sovereignty, because Maduro is a tyrant and not a legitimate leader." Juan Guaidó is the country's leader . "

Foreign Minister Alan Duncan said Thursday that the UK is also preparing aid distribution plans for aid. He added that the British government was seeking to stifle the funds used to pay Venezuelan military salaries in order to undermine Maduro.

When Guaidó announced aid deliveries during a speech in late January, he said that Cúcuta would only be one delivery point, alongside the Dutch islands of the Caribbean and Boa Vista, Border city of Brazil. No other announcements regarding these two points have been made.

Meanwhile, more and more Venezuelan refugees continue to cross the border into Colombia every day.

Marvín Ramírez had just crossed the river between the two countries when he heard the news of Maduro's blockade.

"Maduro is a thief, he wants help for himself and his soldiers will pick him up and sell him for themselves," said Ramirez, walking away in the shadows to retreat. from midday sun. "They should just keep it in Cucuta to help us all."