Venezuela’s opposition plans to deliver aid

CARACAS— Venezuela’s opposition leaders say they are preparing to deliver tens of millions of dollars in donated food and medicine to ease the nation’s devastating shortages and undermine the authoritarian rule of Nicolas Maduro.

But some major relief organizations are reluctant to co-operate, fearing the plan could turn humanitarian aid into a political weapon.

On Tuesday, the opposition said it would begin stocking warehouses near the Venezuelan border with supplies donated by the United States, Colombia and Venezuelans abroad. The humanitarian aid — baby formula, nutritional supplements, medicine and hospital supplies — could provide the opposition with a tangible way of weakening Maduro, who has long relied on food handouts to keep his political base loyal during the country’s long economic collapse.

Getting the aid into Venezuela will be a critical test of the opposition’s ability to rally the na- tion, press for Maduro’s exit and establish an interim government. While the United States and more than 30 other nations have recognized the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as Venezuela’s rightful leader, he and his supporters still need to show that they can run the country effectively.

“We want to provide tangible early results,” said Miguel Pizarro, the opposition lawmaker in charge of organizing the aid delivery.

But international aid organizations and local activists are concerned about the prospect of using aid as a tool in a political contest.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and its local affiliate in Colombia said in a statement they would not participate in the delivery effort for the time being, citing the group’s “fundamental principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence.”

The Venezuelan branch of Caritas, the humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church, has also said it is not ready to commit, saying aid should be deployed “solely to benefit the most vulnerable people.”