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A fuel tanker, cargo trailers and a makeshift fence block Tienditas' international bridge to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Venezuela. (AP)
The Tienditas International Bridge, near the border between Colombia and Venezuela, is stalled this week.
It is divided into three parts, and the Venezuelan army has them all blocked: two with shipping containers and one with a tanker truck, as well as fences. The striking scene illustrates the dramatic confrontation between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the self-proclaimed interim president, Juan Guaidó.
Guaidó insists that humanitarian aid is absolutely necessary in Venezuela and that it must be let in. Maduro, with the help of the army, refuses to give in.
[[[[Tension rises because of the delivery of humanitarian aid to Venezuela]
This is a $ 60 million humanitarian aid.
Venezuela is plunged into a humanitarian and political crisis. Millions of people have fled the country in recent years after hyperinflation drove up prices for basic necessities. Those who remain are facing a dangerous shortage of medicines, food and other necessities.
In January, Guaidó declared himself acting president, launching Venezuela into a new phase of political unrest as the United States and other countries supported him.
Now, Guaidó and the opposition believe that humanitarian aid in trucks stuck in Colombia will save lives. Maduro refused help, saying that he would not allow Venezuela to become a country of "beggars".
As the Washington Post reported this week, the Maduro government issued a propaganda stating that accepting help from the United States would put Venezuelans at risk. "A video broadcast by a pro-government site suggested that foreign" peacekeepers "who were overflowing with lust were about to rape Venezuela," The Post reported.
In Washington, US officials have insisted that Maduro should withdraw and allow aid across the border.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Wednesday that the "The Maduro diet must allow aid to reach the poor."
The opposition in Venezuela raised the question of whether help will be provided as an opportunity for the army to challenge Maduro. In a video message Thursday, Guaidó said the soldiers "will have an important decision to make".
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Reiterated these calls, tweeting that the fate of the military leaders in Venezuela will depend on what they will choose to do about the help.
More than 50 tons of American humanitarian aid are now in Colombia.
The post-Maduro future of the military leaders of #Venezuela This will largely depend on whether or not this aid is allowed to reach the populations of #Venezuela.
– Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 7, 2019
Rubio tweeted Images of the blocked road and said that "the military leaders who cooperate with this sadistic tactic will be as guilty of them as Maduro".
These are the lengths #Maduro went to prevent food and rescue medications from reaching the people of #Venezuela. But help is coming anyway and now, the military leaders have to make a choice. Will they defend their people or defend a dictator? pic.twitter.com/5Kf5xpt7tC
– Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 6, 2019
National Security Advisor John Bolton retweeted Pompeo's images of the bridge, saying that "Maduro and his companions are living sumptuously in Europe and enriching their Cuban clients while looting Venezuela's wealth. the Venezuelan people, including the ranks of the army, to receive humanitarian aid. "
Bolton also urged senior Venezuelan military officials to recognize Guaidó as interim president, saying the United States "will consider sanctions for all Venezuelan senior officers who defend democracy."
"Otherwise, the international financial circle will be completely closed," he warned. "Make the right choice!"
Read more
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