Violence rocks Venezuela

SHOPS ARE LOOTED AND ARMY OUTPOST BOMBED

Venezuela’s government said it would send troops to a region rocked by violence during antigovernment protests, as Washington rallied the United Nations (UN) Security Council to prevent conflict in the country.

The death of a 15-year-old boy brought the toll from weeks of protests in Venezuela to 43, a sad milestone that matched the number killed in the last comparable wave of unrest, in 2014.

Looting and attacks against security installations erupted in the state of Tachira, which borders Colombia, authorities said. The state prosecution service said on Twitter the boy was killed “during a demonstration” there.

“I have ordered the transfer of 2 000 guards and 600 special operations troops” to Tachira, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on state television.

The US warned that Venezuela’s crisis was worsening and could escalate into a civil conflict.

Following Security Council talks, US ambassador Nikki Haley called for countries to send a message to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“We’ve been down this road – with Syria, with North Korea, with South Sudan, with Burundi, with Burma,” she said.

“The international community needs to say ‘respect the human rights of your people’ or this is going to go in the direction we’ve seen so many others go.”

She earlier warned that Venezuela was “on the verge of humanitarian crisis”.

Brazil’s Defence Minister, Raul Jungmann, said yesterday his country was making contingency plans for a possible influx of Venezuelan migrants.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez, however, said on Twitter that the US was out to topple the Venezuelan government: “The United States has shed light on the plan it is leading to intervene in Venezuela,” she said. “Other countries [at UN headquarters] put it loudly and clearly: Venezuela is no matter for the UN to address.”

Authorities said 20 shops, restaurants and a school were looted, two police stations set on fire and a military outpost attacked with firebombs in Tachira.

Protesters blame Maduro for an economic crisis. They are demanding early elections and accuse Maduro of trying to cling to power. – AFP