Venezuelans return to daily struggle after violent unrest

CARACAS, Venezuela — Bumping shoulders with fellow shoppers as she navigated Caracas’ biggest open-air market, Naira Garcia had no trouble tuning out the messy political struggle that plunged Venezuela into two days of deadly violence this week.

She focused instead on her own daunting task: How to feed her family of five for the next two weeks on the $4 she had in her pocket. Like many of Venezuela’s poor, Garcia scrapes by on odd jobs — selling home-made lollipops or mangos that recently came into season.

“There are good days and bad days,” said the 43-year-old mother of three teenagers, lugging two shopping bags with sardines, sweet peppers and leafy green onions. “I never abandon my faith.”

The bustling Coche Market is a sign that Caracas has returned to what passes for normal life after the outburst of violent unrest that left at least four people dead. It began Tuesday when U.S.backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó called for a military uprising, attempting to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro.

The socialist Maduro is blamed for leading Venezuela into the deepest economic and political crisis in the nation’s history, despite having the world’s largest oil reserves. Soaring hyperinflation has pulverized paychecks in a nation where the average monthly wage is just $6.50.

Opposition leaders had hoped that Guaido’s risky move would stir a string of high-ranking military defections and shake Maduro’s grip on power. But no rebellion materialized, and instead two days of deadly clashes ensued between protesters and police in cities across the country.

Two people were killed by gunfire in the city of La Victoria and two others in Caracas, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, a human rights group. Among the dead was 16-year-old Yosner Graterol, who died Thursday morning. Activists said at least 230 people were injured and 205 were detained during the clashes Tuesday and Wednesday.

The entrenched president on Thursday urged the armed forces to combat “traitors” as he sought to project strength. Speaking at Fort Tiuna, a military base in Caracas, Maduro also said the opposition had sought to provoke bloodshed in the capital at Guaidó’s urging.

At the Coche market, such political talk was pushed aside Thursday to make room for haggling over the best price for carrots and eggplants.