US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expects Venezuela’s head of state Nicolás Maduro to abdicate soon. „I am confident that the Venezuelan people will ensure that Maduro’s days are numbered,“ Pompeo told CNN. Above all, he blamed Maduro-loyal militias for the violence and called on the military to protect the citizens of Venezuela.
The Foreign Minister stressed that predictions were difficult and drew a comparison to his time as a US soldier in West Germany. In 1989 nobody foresaw that the Berlin Wall would fall. Pompeo called Maduro a „sick tyrant“ who brutally smashes humanitarian aid at the borders.
In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo did not rule out military intervention in Venezuela. „We said every option is on the table,“ he said.
Several people died in clashes
In Venezuela, tensions between the opposition and the socialist government had intensified dramatically over the weekend. The controversial President Maduro does not allow humanitarian aid for the population into the country. In clashes at the borders died on Saturday several people, hundreds more were injured.
The self-styled interim president, Juan Guaidó, called on the international community to consider „all options“ against the left-nationalist leader Nicolás Maduro. Guaidó had called on his followers to force the entry of supplies across the border. After the failure of the plan, he announced to visit a scheduled for Monday meeting of the Lima group in Bogota, in which also US Vice President Mike Pence is to attend.
Maduro was unimpressed and declared himself the winner in the battle for the relief supplies. „The coup d’état (the opposition) has failed,“ he said. He described Guaidó as „Clown, Jumping Jack, Puppet of US Imperialism“.
On Saturday night, the nation saw the 56-year-old Maduro dancing in a broadcast of state television in Caracas Salsa. „I’m stronger than ever,“ he said. Previously, he had attacked the „fascist government of Colombia“ at a major rally in Caracas and broke off diplomatic relations with the neighboring state.
