Venezuela's Juan Guaidó accused of coup attempt by government
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Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido has made his strongest call yet to the military to help him oust President Nicolas Maduro as violence broke out at anti-government protests.
Several dozen armed troops accompanying Mr Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Mr Maduro at a rally outside the La Carlota air base in Caracas on Tuesday.
The incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force.
Mr Guaido, in Twitter posts, wrote that he had begun the “final phase” of his campaign to topple Mr Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the armed forces to back him ahead of May Day mass street protests planned for Wednesday.
“The moment is now!” he wrote. “The future is ours: the people and Armed Forces united to put an end” to Mr Maduro’s time in office.
Venezuela’s self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido said earlier troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whose government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup by the US-backed opposition leader.
It is unclear how much of the military supports him.
A senior Brazilian official said a number of Venezuelan troops have sought asylum in Brazil’s embassy in Caracas, saying there had been “various applications” from Venezuelan soldiers.
He would not say how many or what ranks, but Brazilian media reported 25 had applied so far.
The applications came after Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro threw his support behind Venezuelans “enslaved by a dictator,” a reference to President Nicolas Maduro whom Mr Guaido is challenging for power.
Brazil is one among 50 countries supporting Mr Guaido.
Maduro’s response
The government said it was “deactivating” an attempted coup by a small group of “treacherous” soldiers.
President Maduro insisted in a Twitter post that the military was on his side, saying commanders had assured him of “their total loyalty to the people, to the Constitution and to the fatherland.”
Confusion reigned in Caracas as a crowd that swelled to thousands, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked onto a highway near a Caracas military base.
Mr Guaido had rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him with armed troops he said had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Mr Maduro.
The 35-year-old National Assembly leader – recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries – was filmed outside the La Carlota air base, where he urged the armed forces inside to join him.
Mr Guaido claimed the move was the “beginning of the end” of Mr Maduro’s regime, and there was “no turning back”.
But as the crowd swelled around the base, police fired tear gas to keep them away from the perimeter.
Later troops in riot gear, backed by armored vehicles and water tankers, lined up against the demonstrators on a highway wreathed in tear-gas.
Several of the vehicles ran into the crowd, injuring some of the protesters. Rioters later blocked the highway with a bus and set it on fire.
A pall of black smoke also rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base. Soldiers put out the fire and fired tear gas at demonstrators who were trying to dismantle the steel perimeter fence.
“Today is the day Maduro resigns. Today is the day all the country’s drug dealers resign. Today we have a Venezuela. Today we have a nation,” said one protester amid the confusion.
Reaction
As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Venezuela’s army chief and defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino, issued a stark warning of possible “bloodshed” – adding that he would hold the opposition responsible.
¡Nervios de Acero! He conversado con los Comandantes de todas las REDI y ZODI del País, quienes me han manifestado su total lealtad al Pueblo, a la Constitución y a la Patria. Llamo a la máxima movilización popular para asegurar la victoria de la Paz. ¡Venceremos!
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) April 30, 2019
In a message on Twitter, Mr Padrino said the situation in military barracks and bases in the country was “normal.”
He later said an army colonel had received a bullet wound to the neck during the clashes in Caracas.
Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez called on the army “to remain on maximum alert to – with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces – defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace.”
US and EU support
The US, meanwhile, threw its full support behind Guaido, with the White House calling on the military to protect the people and support the country’s “legitimate institutions,” including the opposition-controlled National Assembly.
I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2019
“The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.
U.S. envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said opposition-led protests in Caracas were part of a broader effort negotiated with three senior officials in President Nicolas Maduro’s government to restore constitutional order.
Mr Abrams, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said the talks involved Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, Supreme Court chief justice Maikel Moreno and presidential guard commander Ivan Rafael Hernandez Dela about restoring democracy in the country.
“There have been some interesting negotiations among Venezuelans inside the regime and outside the regime about returning to the constitution,” Abrams said. “They negotiatied for a long time the means of restoring democracy but it seems that today they are not going forward,” he added.
The European Union called for “utmost restraint” in the crisis.
“The EU is closely following the latest events in Venezuela. We reiterate that there can only be a political, peaceful and democratic way out for the multiple crises the country is facing,” EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.
Ms Mogherini said the EU “firmly stands with the Venezuelan people and its legitimate democratic aspirations”.
On the other hand, Russia, Mr Maduro’s main backer and creditor with China, accused Mr Guaido of “fueling conflict” in the oil-rich country.
Mr Maduro’s leftist Latin American allies Cuba and Bolivia also condemned Guaido.
President Ivan Duque of neighboring Colombia — home to more than a million refugees from Mr Maduro’s regime – called on Twitter for “soldiers and the people of Venezuela to place themselves on the right side of history, rejecting dictatorship and Mr Maduro’s usurpation.”
Internet observatory NetBlocks reported “multiple internet services” were restricted in Venezuela following Mr Guaido’s appeal.
Spain warned against bloodshed and said it was “not supporting any military coup”.
‘Definitive phase’
In his video, recorded outside the La Carlota base, Mr Guaido said the “definitive phase” had begun in his attempt to oust Mr Maduro – who has presided over a catastrophic economic implosion since taking over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013.
“Brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call,” Mr Guaido said.
Mr Guaido appeared alongside high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez who had been put under house arrest by Mr Maduro’s regime but who announced he had been “freed” by soldiers supporting Mr Guaido.
Tensions in Venezuela have been ratcheted up to a critical level this year, after Mr Guaido, who is head of the opposition-ruled National Assembly, announced January 23 that he was the acting president under the constitution. He said Mr Maduro had been fraudulently re-elected last year.
Yet although US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said “all options” are on the table regarding Venezuela – including, implicitly, military action – there has been no noticeable US military mobilization.
Instead, Washington has upped the economic pressure, through sanctions aimed at Mr Maduro’s regime and by cutting sales of Venezuelan oil – the South American country’s main revenue earner.
It also warned against any attempt to arrest Mr Guaido, who has been left free to roam Venezuela and hold rallies.
Mr Maduro and his government have repeatedly accused the United States of trying to foment a coup, and blame the economic devastation in the country on the tightening US sanctions.
Article source: https://hollywoodlife.com/2018/11/07/celebrities-neon-eyeshadow-bright-makeup-pics-eg18/
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