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On February 22nd, US-Proclaimed Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaido arrived in Colombia, defying his travel ban. He was welcomed by Vice President of the Colombian Conservative Party Juan Felipe Corzo.
He arrived on the day before the deadline he gave for the entry of US humanitarian aid into Venezuela.
??#Exclusivo Nuestro vicepresidente @juanfelipecorzo se encargó de recibir en la frontera de Colombia al Presidente de Venezuela @jguaido para dirigirse a Tienditas lugar del concierto!#HoySomosVenezuela#VenezuelaAidLive#SolidaridadConVenezuela#AyudaHumanitaria pic.twitter.com/IDbfM1tg3v
— Partido Conservador (@soyconservador) February 22, 2019
In a joint news conference with the presidents of Colombia, Chile and Paraguay, Guaidó suggested the Venezuelan armed forces had facilitated his arrival across the border.
“And I say thank you, and I thank the people of Venezuela, too, for their support,” he said. “Tomorrow, February 23, a month after assuming the presidency, all of Venezuela will be in the street to urge humanitarian aid to get in.”
“He is risking a lot,” said political analyst Dimitris Pantoulas, cited by the Washington Post. “Unless he’s sure the international reaction will have a big enough magnitude to leave Maduro with no option other than letting him back in. But the risk is too high and there’s no guarantee of what will happen. To me, it seems unnecessary.”
Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo reiterated the Lima Group’s and his country’s support of Guaido and repeated a call to the Venezuelan Armed Forces to allow humanitarian aid into the country.
Colombia responde a Maduro pic.twitter.com/0vYQyBgyNq
— Carlos Holmes Trujillo (@CarlosHolmesTru) February 21, 2019
Meanwhile, at a news conference in New York, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza warned that “many Venezuelans don’t agree with Mr. Guaidó being in freedom. I hope justice will be done.”
On the same day, Venezuelan soldiers opened fire on a group of opposition supporters who were trying to keep open a segment of the southern border with Brazil for deliveries of humanitarian aid. According to reports 2 people died and 15 others were injured.
The White House issued a statement warning Maduro’s government:
“Egregious violation of human rights by [President Nicolás] Maduro and those who are following his orders will not go unpunished.”
US National Security Adviser John Bolton also condemned the Venezuelan military’s response to the opposition supporters’ actions. Warning that the “perpetrators will face justice.”
To Maduro’s military cronies attacking civilians at the Brazilian border – the world is watching and the perpetrators will face justice. The Venezuelan military should protect civilians, not shoot them. https://t.co/dLDfqoknNz
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) February 23, 2019
On the evening of February 22nd, the Aid Live Concert took place, co-organized by billionaire Richard Branson.
Venezuela’s interim President Juan Guaido joined the region’s democratic leaders, Latin music superstars and hundreds of thousands of spectators at today’s Venezuela Aid Live mega concert. pic.twitter.com/MCj5z19eeL
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) February 23, 2019
In response, Maduro’s government also organized a concert along the border with Colombia.
RT @MervinMaldonado: The Venezuelan patriotic people sent a clear message from the Concert For Peace and Life on the border in Tachira #HandsOffVenezuela PEACE SHALL PREVAIL! We support the CONSTITUTIONAL PRESIDENT@NicolasMaduro pic.twitter.com/ZINXg8EYdE #ManosFueraDeVenezuela
— Nicolás Maduro (@maduro_en) February 23, 2019
Maduro also issued an apology to the Colombian and Venezuelan people that the border between the countries would remain closed for a while, but freedom of passage would be restored swiftly, as soon as normality returns.
RT @DrodriguezVen: The Bolivarian Government informs the population that, due to the serious and illegal threats attempted by the Government of Colombia against Peace and sovereignty of Venezuela, it has taken the decision to temporarily close the […] https://t.co/Kv1RyIX9jN
— Nicolás Maduro (@maduro_en) February 23, 2019
RT @DrodriguezVen: The Bolivarian Government of Venezuela grants full guarantees to the Venezuelan and Colombian people to have safe border crossings. As soon as the gross actions of violence against our people and territory get controlled, border normality will be restored!
— Nicolás Maduro (@maduro_en) February 23, 2019
RT @DrodriguezVen: Demanding respect to elementary norms of the international law, we demand to @IvanDuque to cease in his infamous actions permitting the territory of Colombia to attack, by order of @realDonaldTrump against the right of the […] https://t.co/gnEdhuTkiy
— Nicolás Maduro (@maduro_en) February 23, 2019
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez also announced the closure of the border with Colombia.
El Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela otorga plenas garantías al pueblo venezolano y colombiano de tener pasos fronterizos seguros. En cuanto se controlen las groseras acciones de violencia contra nuestro pueblo y nuestro territorio, serán restablecida la normalidad fronteriza!
— Delcy Rodríguez (@DrodriguezVen) February 23, 2019
All of the recent actions of the opposition, the US and its allies appear to be a sort of preparation for aggressions.
These include claims of the humanitarian aid being funneled to Cuba, Hezbollah’s presence in Venezuela and soldiers shooting “civilians” who were not breaking the law by keeping a country’s border open by force.
There were even attempts of spreading news of even Venezuelan allies such as Russia abandoning the country, according to reports of Gazprombank freezing Venezuelan assets among other things. There are constant reports of military officers defecting to the opposition’s side. There was also a recent report of Venezuela’s “Military atache” to the UN recognizing Guaido, who turned out to be the Deputy Atache.
All of this rhetoric attempts to construct a narrative in which the Maduro government is so “evil” that even its allies are backing off and leaving it to fend for itself. And if the Russian Foreign Ministry’s claims that the US is positioning special forces along the Venezuelan borders are true, then an intervention is edging even closer.
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If the Venezuelan Government plays by the rules like the Ukrainian and Syrian Governments did, the result will be the same as in Ukraine and Syria. You can’t play by the rules when you are dealing with America. Any and all supporters of Guano should be summarily executed for treason. Any foreigners should also be executed for terrorism, and that includes Americans.
“Execute any foreigners” — well taken literally that’d also include myself; it reminds me a bit of Monty Python’s “I’d tax all foreigners abroad”. :-) But yeah, these acts of treason should’ve been dealt with weeks ago; this whole idea that you can avoid American escalation by playing nice and other deer-in-the-headlights acts… as you say, look where that got Yanukovich. This mentality “we can’t touch Mr. Guano, he’s taking money from the US” obviously only encourages others to take the shekels from the US. Hang the scum.
If Guaido comes in with that “humanitarian” convoy he should be arrested immediately and put on trial for high treason.
It doesnt seem a travel ban and collection of 10 mio signatures against a US invasion helps a lot.
Fears of military intervention increase after learning that Gweedo has IMF backing and desires to sell Venezuela’s oil and other natural resources to the Empire, while enslaving the average Venezuelan in eternal debt and hunger.
Any average everyday Venezuelan who falls for the propaganda and backs Gweedo to overthrow the country, will certainly deserve everything the IMF has to give like all those other countries indebted to the IMF. Those gifts, for the unaware, include austerity, loss of pensions, hunger, homelessness etc.
Venezuela crisis: The moment troops crash through border
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olir5zOE4tQ