The government blames Interim President Guaidó for the failure, while the EU foreign affairs chief warns against military intervention.
The supply crisis in parts of Venezuela is continuing. According to the German Press Agency, thousands again protested in the capital Caracas in view of the days-long failure of the electricity and water supply. Who is responsible for the failure, however, remains unclear.
The Venezuelan Procuratorate now accused the self-appointed interim president Juan Guaidó to bear a share of responsibility for the defaults.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab called for investigations into „alleged involvement in the sabotage of the Venezuelan electricity system.“ Previously, the Venezuelan government had blamed a US-planned hacker attack for the power outage. The opposition, on the other hand, speaks of lack of maintenance, corruption and mismanagement.
The self-appointed interim president Juan Guaidó had already declared the alarm state on Monday by the National Assembly because of the power outage. However, the parliament has no factual power, because the military so far is the left-nationalist president Nicolás Maduro, who had the parliament outlawed.
However, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini again warned in the UN Security Council against a military intervention in the conflict in Venezuela. „The solution must be political, peaceful and democratic, and we believe that no military development, internal or external, would be acceptable.“
Mogherini said that the country should not be forced on the outside. US President Donald Trump has not ruled out intervention in the troubled South American country in the past. Trump’s security adviser John Bolton recently said, „All options are on the table.“
Meanwhile, Washington announced it would use new sanctions to increase pressure on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. It is said that „very serious additional sanctions“ will be imposed on banks that work with Maduro, said US Special Envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams. The measures would be officially announced „very soon“.
The US had previously withdrawn all remaining diplomats from Caracas. The German Ambassador Daniel Kriener had also left the country after his expulsion on Monday. Maduro had accused him of meddling in internal affairs. Germany had – in addition to numerous other states – behind opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
