Maduro’s dark days

Blackout piles pressure on president as dialysis patients die

PRESSURE was building on Venezuela’s beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro as the country’s blackout continued, with reports 15 dialysis patients had died and grim warnings that another 10,200 people were at risk.

And opposition leader Juan Guaido announced a nationwide march on Caracas as thousands of people took to the capital’s streets.

At a rally on Saturday, Mr Guaido – who is recognised as interim president by more than 50 countries – told thousands of supporters he would embark on a tour of the country before leading a nationwide march on the capital, with the date to be announced.

Mr Guaido also threatened to call on outside intervention “when the time comes,” pointing to the constitution, which authorises “the use of a Venezuelan military mission abroad, or foreigners inside the country”.

Mr Guaido is trying to force out Mr Maduro, whose May reelection he deems illegitimate.

Meanwhile, Mr Maduro told his supporters to protest against “imperialism” at a rival march marking four years since the US branded Venezuela a “threat” to its security and imposed sanctions. He also said almost 70 per cent of power had been restored but at midday there was another cyber “attack at one of the generators that was working perfectly and that disturbed and undid everything we had achieved”.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez blamed the blackout on a cyber attack against the automated control system in the central generator at the Guri hydro-electric plant in the country’s south, which serves 80 per cent of Venezuela.

Francisco Valencia, director of the Codevida health rights group said 15 patients with advanced kidney disease had died as a result of the blackout.

“We are talking about 95 per cent of dialysis units are paralysed, due to the power outage,” he said, warning that 10,200 people were at risk.