Venezuela’s self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido claimed Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whose government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup by the U.S.-backed opposition leader.
An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas.
And there was little early sign Maduro’s iron grip on the military – which has kept him in power in a months-long standoff with Guaido – had slipped.
The government said it was “deactivating” an attempted coup by a small group of “treacherous” soldiers.
And there was little early sign Maduro’s iron grip on the military — which has kept him in power in a months-long standoff with Guaido — had slipped.
On Twitter, he claimed the military chiefs had assured him of their “total loyalty.”
Confusion reigned in Caracas as a crowd that swelled to thousands, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked onto a highway near a Caracas military base.
Guaido had rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him with armed troops he said had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro.
The 35-year-old National Assembly leader – recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries – was filmed outside the La Carlota air base, where he urged the armed forces inside to join him.
Guaido claimed the move was the “beginning of the end” of Maduro’s regime, and there was “no turning back.”
Confusion and Injuries
But as the crowd swelled around the base, police fired tear gas to keep them away from the perimeter.
Later troops in riot gear, backed by armored vehicles and water tankers, lined up against the demonstrators on a highway wreathed in tear-gas.
Several of the vehicles ran into the crowd, injuring some of the protesters. Rioters later blocked the highway with a bus and set it on fire.
Guaido and his supporters marched East along Ave Francisco Miranda from Altamira to Chacao, before they were turned back by tear gas. Seems to be dissipating, with smaller more radical masked groups carrying bricks and rocks. #venezuek pic.twitter.com/fF0vnTlchw
— Michael Fox (@mfox_us) April 30, 2019
A soldier loyal to Maduro also suffered a bullet wound during the clashes, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said.
“I condemn the violent aggression in which colonel Yerzon Jimenez Baez was the victim … injured by bullet in the neck,” Padrino wrote on Twitter.
A pall of black smoke also rose from an area near a helicopter hangar on the base. Soldiers put out the fire and fired tear gas at demonstrators who were trying to dismantle the steel perimeter fence.
“Today is the day Maduro resigns. Today is the day all the country’s drug dealers resign. Today we have a Venezuela. Today we have a nation,” said one protester amid the confusion.
As U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed to all sides to avoid violence, Padrino, issued a stark warning of possible “bloodshed” – adding that he would hold the opposition responsible.
In a message on Twitter, Padrino said the situation in military barracks and bases in the country was “normal.”
Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez called on the army “to remain on maximum alert to – with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces – defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace.”
US Support
The U.S., meanwhile, threw its full support behind Guaido, with the White House calling on the military to protect the people and support the country’s “legitimate institutions,” including the opposition-controlled National Assembly.
“The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy. Democracy cannot be defeated,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.
Russia, Maduro’s main backer and creditor with China, accused Guaido of “fueling conflict” in the oil-rich country.
‘The definitive end of usurpation began today’: Tear gas fired at Venezuela’s Guaido after he claims army's support https://t.co/gDfqNTzGJM pic.twitter.com/fNdv8UwmCT
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 30, 2019
Maduro’s leftist Latin American allies Cuba and Bolivia also condemned Guaido.
Bolivia’s Evo Morales said Guaido was “beholden to foreign interests.”
He added that he was sure that “the brave Bolivarian Revolution led by brother Nicolas Maduro will beat this new attack by the empire (the US).”
Right-wing President Ivan Duque of neighboring Colombia – home to more than a million refugees from Venezuela – called on Twitter for “soldiers and the people of Venezuela to place themselves on the right side of history, rejecting dictatorship and Maduro’s usurpation.”
Internet observatory NetBlocks reported “multiple internet services” were restricted in Venezuela following Guaido’s appeal.
‘Definitive Phase’
In his video, recorded outside the La Carlota base, Guaido said the “definitive phase” had begun in his attempt to oust Maduro – who has presided over an economic implosion since taking over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013.
“Brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call,” Guaido said.
Guaido appeared alongside high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez who had been put under house arrest by Maduro’s regime but who announced he had been “freed” by soldiers supporting Guaido.
Tuesday’s call comes ahead of opposition plans to hold a massive Mayday protest in Caracas.
Maduro supporters rally against coup in Caracas. #Venezuela https://t.co/M2LOu1nBD4
— Eva Golinger (@evagolinger) April 30, 2019
Tensions in Venezuela have been ratcheted up to a critical level this year after Guaido announced on January 23 that he was the acting president under the constitution. He said Maduro had been fraudulently re-elected last year.
In an apparently coordinated effort, the United States immediately recognized him, followed closely by Latin American powers including Brazil, Peru and Chile, and later by E.U. nations.
Yet although U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said “all options” are on the table regarding Venezuela – including, implicitly, military action – there has been no noticeable U.S. military mobilization.
Instead, Washington has upped the economic pressure through crushing sanctions and by cutting sales of Venezuelan oil – the South American country’s main revenue earner.
It also warned against any attempt to arrest Guaido, who has been left free to roam Venezuela and hold rallies.
Maduro and his government have repeatedly accused the United States of trying to foment a coup, and blame the economic devastation in the country on the tightening U.S. sanctions.
More on the Subject
Confidante of ‘Tyrants:’ An Interview With Former Chavez Advisor Eva Golinger
