Protesters rejoice as troops abandon post in Venezuela border f lare-up
VENEZUELAN soldiers began abandoning their border post yesterday, sparking jubilation among hundreds of thousands of protesters.
The deserters were seen as a further sign that President Nicolas Maduro was losing his grip on power in the crisistorn South American country.
Troops loyal to the embattled leader fired tear gas at protesters when violence flared as hundreds of thousands of volunteers tried to cross the border with food and medicine. Opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido had vowed to bring in aid to the country’s starving.
Tensions surfaced between the military and civilians last week as loyalist soldiers shot dead two protesters and injured others along the Brazilian border on Friday.
But yesterday, in a sign that Maduro’s support among the military was about to crumble, at least four National Guard officers abandoned their posts at the Colombian border, according to the country’s migration agency.
Videos on social media showed crowds first jeering and then cheering the men as they were escorted to safety by Colombian police. One soldier released a tearful video begging for forgiveness and urged Maduro and his defence minister not to order soldiers to fire on civilians.
On Twitter, Mr Guaido said: ‘We call on everyone to get out on to the street in every part of the country, to protest peacefully and demand that the army allows humanitarian aid to pass. Today, we must ensure that our demand for life, freedom and our future is heard.’
On Friday, Richard Branson organised a massive Live Aidstyle concert in the Colombia border town of Cucuta. Attendees included the presidents of Colombia, Chile and Paraguay, along with Mr Guaido, who defied a travel ban by Mr Maduro.