Venezuela crisis: Juan Guaido travels to Colombia to try to receive aid despite Maduro ban

Nicolas Maduro has blocked all US aid from entering the country and has accused the US of trying stage a coup. Recently Maduro also shut down the country’s maritime border with the Dutch Caribbean island in order to stop US aid entering Venezuela. Maduro has denied widespread reports of food and medicine shortages in the country.

In spite of Maduro’s ban on any US aid entering the country, Mr Guaido is attempting an aid mission and had previously stated that provisions will enter the country by Saturday.

Mr Guaido recently said: “Even though they point guns at us – and all of us have received threats, rubber bullets and even live ones – we are not afraid.

“We will stay out in the street with our chests bared, demanding freedom for all of Venezuela.”

Despite Maduro insisting that any US aid entering the country was a mere prelude to military intervention, Mr Guaido has reiterated that aid will enter the country “one way or another”.

READ MORE: Venzuela: Maduro accepts aid from RUSSIA after blocking US supplies

Maduro has announced, however, that 300 tonnes of aid would be shipped to Venezuela from Russia.

Russia has been one of the main supporters of Maduro’s regime along with China and Iran.

Mr Guaido, on the other hand, has been recognised as the official president if the country by more than 50 countries including the US.

Until it is remedied, the aid crisis is a massive struggle between the two men as Mr Guaido looks to pile even more pressure on the socialist.

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Mr Guaido has claimed that 300,000 people could die without an influx of immediate aid into the country.

Pro-Maduro military has already blocked the Tienditas bridge across the Colombian border in order to block the build-up of US aid from entering.

Amnesty International’s Americas director Erika Guevara pleaded with the army to “not only recognize this serious crisis but also to guarantee access” for those bringing in aid.

Despite his plea, the military said in a decree that it was banning vessels from sailing out of Venezuela’s ports until Sunday to avoid actions by “criminal” groups.

The latest news comes as Mr Guaido instructed officials to remove Maduro’s personnel from the Costa Rican Embassy.

Mr Guaido instructed his ambassador for the Central American state, Maria Faria to take over the embassy despite criticism from the Costa Rican government.

On February 15, the Costa Rican government had given Maduro’s officials 60 days to leave the country and branded the move as “damaging to international law”.

source: express.co.uk