Troops open fire on Venezuelan volunteers in aid convoy standoff
Indigenous woman killed as defiant opposition vows to bring hundreds of tons of supplies across border
A HIGH-STAKES bid by the Venezuelan opposition to transport aid into the country turned deadly yesterday as government forces opened fire on a group of volunteers, killing at least two people and injuring 12.
Members of the indigenous community in the southern town of Kumarakapay, bordering Brazil, retaliated by taking prisoner the commander of the Venezuelan national guard.
José Miguel Montoya Rodriguez was detained by members of the Pemon tribe, following the death of Zoraida Rodriguez, a member of the community, in the clashes.
The violence cast an ominous shadow over the massive aid delivery planned for today, with hundreds of tons of medical supplies destined to be brought across the border from Brazil and Colombia.
Juan Guaidó, the self-declared “interim president” who has marshalled the hugely symbolic aid delivery, condemned the killing and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Last night, following a fundraising concert on the border, organised by Sir Richard Branson, thousands of indigenous volunteers were preparing to bring in the aid, in spite of threats from Nicolás Maduro, the president, who said he would not allow it to pass.
Mr Guaido himself attended the concert yesterday, crossing the border into Colombia despite being banned from leaving Venezuela. He was photo- graphed mingling in the crowd, beaming and waving. The bold strategy is risky: it is unclear whether he will be allowed to re-enter Venezuela.
Organisers of the show, held on the Tienditas bridge, worked through the night to clear the bridge for today’s aid caravan. Mr Maduro promised a rival concert and was reportedly offering $7 million (£5.4 million) to artists to play, but by last night there was no sign of the show and several musicians said they had turned down an approach. A caravan of trucks fanned out across Venezuela, destined for the border and ready to load the aid. Mr Guaidó set out from Caracas on Thursday.
Gaby Arellano, a 33-year-old Venezuelan opposition MP, was defiant about the risks of violence as she prepared to cross the border from the Colombian town of Cúcuta. “You know what really frightens me? The fact that my children will continue to suffer,” she said. “That’s far more terrifying a thought than anything that could happen
‘You know what really frightens me? The fact that my children will continue to suffer’
on the bridge.” Four bridges here cross into Venezuela, and the volunteers, told to dress in white, will set out at 9am (2pm GMT).
They would not be “smugglers in the night,” said José Manuel Olivares, a 33-year-old doctor and politician. He added: “We will do it by the light of day, because we have nothing to hide.”
Russia, which continues to provide a crutch to Mr Maduro’s teetering regime, accused the US of using the aid as a ploy to carry out military action.