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CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan socialist president Nicolas Maduro on Thursday accused the Trump government of trying to assassinate him, because of the tension between the two nations.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attends an event with the workers in Caracas, Venezuela, on October 11, 2018. Miraflores Palace / Document via REUTERS
Asked about these remarks, the White House did not immediately comment.
The Venezuelan opposition says that Maduro makes ridiculous accusations against enemies in order to escape his own incompetence.
Nearly 2 million Venezuelans have fled the oil-rich country since 2015 due to brutal shortages of food and medicine, hyperinflation and violent crime.
Washington imposed sanctions on Venezuela, denouncing Maduro as a dictator who broke human rights and caused an economic collapse.
On Wednesday, the White House accused the Maduro government of having implicated in the death of a jailed Venezuelan politician that the authorities say they killed themselves, but that the opposition parties say they murdered.
In a television broadcast on Thursday night, Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, said the United States had asked the government of neighboring Colombia to kill him.
"They ordered the White House to kill Maduro," said Maduro, accompanied by workers. He swore "that they will not touch even one of my hair".
Maduro did not explain his charges and provided no evidence. Venezuela's Ministry of Information did not respond to a request for additional information.
Maduro claims to be the victim of an "economic war" led by opponents backed by the United States. He denies any restriction of political freedoms, insisting that Washington-backed opposition leaders plotted assassination attempts and sought to overthrow him through violent street protests.
Report by Corina Pons; Additional report by Eric Beech in Washington; Written by Alexandra Ulmer; Edited by Sandra Maler
