[ad_1]
Copyright of the image
Reuters
President Nicolás Maduro closed the border between Venezuela and Brazil
According to local media, at least two people were killed and several others wounded in clashes near the border between Venezuela and Brazil.
Venezuelan security forces opened fire on a group of civilians trying to prevent them from blocking the border.
President Nicolás Maduro closed the border between Brazil and Brazil as he was fighting for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The incident occurred as thousands of people witnessed two rival concerts either side of a bridge connecting Venezuela and Colombia.
Opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who declared himself acting leader last month, attended the Colombian concert alongside several Latin American leaders.
The clashes took place when members of the community clashed with Venezuelan troops on Friday morning in the southern Venezuelan town of Kumarakapay, the AFP news agency reported.
- Should Branson "back off" Venezuela?
- Foreign aid: real help or Trojan?
Troops then fired on individuals attempting to block a road in order to prevent the pbadage of military vehicles, witnesses said.
A local woman and her husband were killed (in Spanish), according to human rights group Kape Kape.
Copyright of the image
Reuters
An ambulance at the scene of deadly clashes in southern Venezuela
Why are there clashes at the border?
Venezuela is in the throes of a political and economic crisis. The country's inflation rate has led to soaring prices, leaving many Venezuelans struggling with basic necessities such as food, toiletries and medicines.
About 2.7 million people have fled the country since 2015.
According to Mr. Guaidó, the lack of basic items left thousands of others on the verge of dying.
Humanitarian aid to Venezuela reaches the borders of neighboring countries, Colombia and Brazil.
Multimedia playback is not supported on your device
Guaidó and his allies hope to gather relief gathered Saturday, in defiance of President Maduro, who denies any crisis and calls for aid plans a show orchestrated by the United States.
President Maduro said that he could also close the border with Colombia to prevent the opposition from bringing help.
Why do the concerts take place?
The concerts, which are held just 300 meters from each other, represent the two opposing sides of a power struggle between President Maduro and Mr. Guaidó, recognized as the interim leader of the country by dozens of countries, including the United States and most Latin American countries.
Copyright of the image
AFP
Thousands of people gathered for the Venezuela Aid Live concert near the Colombian city of Cucuta
One of the concerts, Venezuela Aid Live, was organized by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, who said that Mr. Guaidó had asked him to organize it.
It was held near the bridge on the Tienditas Bridge, on the Colombian side of the border, in Cucuta. The organizers invited 32 artists including Latin stars Rudy Mancuso, Juanes and singer Despacito Luis Fonsi and Swedish DJ Alesso.
Some celebrities – including Venezuelan-American singer and actress Lele Pons and Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean – and politicians took part in the ceremony.
Among them were the Colombian, Chilean and Paraguayan Presidents, as well as Mr. Guaidó, who had defied a travel ban imposed by President Maduro.
Copyright of the image
AFP
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Colombian President Ivan Duque, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez all attended the Venezuela Live Aid concert.
"This concert is a humanitarian concert, every country, every people in the world wants freedom," said Branson.
"Anyone who does something for the right reasons will always receive criticism, which is positive, is that 99% of people around the world subscribe to what is happening here today."
According to Netblocks, a non-governmental organization that monitors power outages on the Internet, all YouTube, Bing and Google services were temporarily blocked in Venezuela during the Live Aid concert.
After the announcement of the event, President Maduro promised to organize a rival concert on the Venezuelan side of the bridge, a three-day festival called Hands Off Venezuela.
The government has not yet announced any official program for Venezuela's Hands Off, but unconfirmed reports report about 150 artists.
Copyright of the image
EPA
Richard Branson's concert takes place on the Colombian side of the border
Copyright of the image
EPA
While Maduro is not far from the Venezuelan side
What is happening at Venezuela's borders?
Brazil, which recognizes Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, had earlier pledged to provide humanitarian aid in the Brazilian city of Pacaraima, which would be collected by opposition supporters.
Please update your browser to view this content.
There are already planes and trucks carrying tons of US aid parked on the Colombian side of the Tienditas Bridge, and President Maduro has refused to let him enter Venezuela, claiming that it is part of the country. 39, a ploy launched by the United States to invade the country.
Although denying that there was a humanitarian crisis, President Maduro reportedly received a shipment of help from Russia earlier this week, according to Russian state media.
Moscow accused Washington of using the aid as "a convenient pretext for military action".
According to RIA Novosti, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters that "in preparation for the provocation," the United States was deploying "special forces and equipment near Venezuelan territory."
So, how will help come in?
This is not yet clear. Guaidó announced his intention to send help Saturday in the country by urging Venezuelans to mobilize en mbade and to form "caravans" and a "humanitarian avalanche" at the borders.
- Venezuela closes border with Brazil
- Guaidó sets up a confrontation with Venezuela
But even with this effort, it is not certain whether aid is allowed or not.
A spokesman for Mr. Branson told the BBC that he was working with Colombian entrepreneur Bruno Ocampo to organize the concert and settle the logistics, while Mr. Ocampo said the details "remain confidential. ".
Source link
