Venezuela opposition leader Guaido appears at aid concert
C8C87A, Colombia A3 — Defying orders banning him from leaving Vene uela, opposition leader -uan Guaido made a surprise appearance at the end of star-studded aid concert in neighboring Colombia, joining thousands of other Vene uelans in pressuring 3resident Nicolas Maduro into allowing the delivery of emergency food and medicine.
In Vene uela, a much smaller crowd gathered for a rival, three-day “Hands Off Vene uela” festival being organi ed by Maduro. (ven as several million Vene uelans flee the country and those who remain struggle to find basic goods like food and antibiotics, the embattled president claims the relief effort led by Guaido is a 8.S. orchestrated ploy to oust him from power.
It’s not clear how Guaido sneaked into Colombia — in one video circulating on social media he appears running across a bridge near the Colombian town of 3uerto Santander, while in another he could be seen boarding a helicopter belonging to the Colombian air force.
But once he arrived at the giant stage located next to the 7ienditas bridge connecting the two countries he was greeted like a rock star himself. 7housands of Vene uelans shouted “-uan arrived -uan arrived ” when they spotted him donning a white shirt and accompanied by a large contingent of Colombian security as he made himself through the front of the crowd.
7he presidents of Colombia, Chile and 3araguay were on hand to be the first foreign heads of state to embrace the 3 -year-old lawmaker since he declared himself interim president a month ago at an outdoor rally.
7he optimistic mood at the Live Aid-style concert opened in the Colombian border city of Cucuta couldn’t mask underlying tensions a day before Maduro’s opponents embark on a risky strategy to undermine Maduro and bring in the aid being amassed along three of Vene uela’s borders. But the crowd reacted with joy when Guaido suddenly appeared.
7housands of kilometers away, near a crossing with Bra il, a member of an indigenous tribe was killed and 22 more injured in clashes with security forces who enforced Maduro’s orders to keep out the aid.
Hours before the concert in Cucuta began, do ens of Vene uelans hiked across the border through high bushes on an unmarked trail. 7hey carried ice boxes, snacks and water and whispered directions as they kept a close eye out for Vene uelan soldiers.
“7his concert happens once in a lifetime,” 1 -yearold Shirley Duran said. “It will be a great opportunity for so many poor people who are suffering under the heat, who are hungry, jobless. At last they’ll have something to enjoy.”
British billionaire Richard Branson organi ed the “Live Aid Vene uela” concert, which featured do ens of Latin musicians performing on a bridge-side stage not far from where Maduro’s government has placed a giant shipping container and tanker to prevent the delivery of 8.S.-supplied food and medical kits.
After the concert, Vene uela’s Vice 3resident Delcy Rodrigue said her government was ordering the partial closure of the border with Colombia hours ahead of the planned delivery of the humanitarian aid.