Maduro cracking down on dissent
CARACAS: The Nicolas Maduro regime has launched a witch hunt within the Venezuelan armed forces in recent days, arresting nearly a dozen officers and ordering the secret police to monitor anyone in contact with deserters and discharged military personnel, according to sources with close ties to the military.
Among the officers arrested are members of the Casa Militar, the unit based in the Miraflores presidential palace in charge of Maduro’s safekeeping.
‘‘There’s a number of lieutenants detained who were already brought before a military tribunal,’’ said retired General Antonio Rivero, who stays in contact with activeduty officers from his home in Miami.
‘‘That group is made up of about 20 people arrested.’’
Most are lowranking officers but they include a lieutenantcolonel and a number of noncommissioned officers, Rivero said.
A bank in Portugal has blocked Venezuela’s attempt to transfer $US1.2 billion ($NZ1.75 billion) to Uruguay, a lawmaker said yesterday as the opposition to Maduro warned of the theft of public funds, while the US sent food and medical aid to the VenezuelanColombian border.
Pope Francis has expressed willingness for the Vatican to mediate Venezuela’s mounting crisis if both sides seek it. Russia, which along with China has backed Maduro, underscored its view the crisis could be resolved only with negotia tions between the Government and Opposition.
Guaido, who declared himself interim president last month, was scheduled to meet business leaders yesterday to discuss an economic recovery plan under a future transition government in the South American country. — TCA/Reuters