In order not to let relief supplies into the country, the Venezuelan military has been put on alert. The funds promised by the Federal Government are now to be used, according to ambassadors in Caracas.
By Anne-Katrin Mellmann, ARD studio Mexico City
In the Venezuelan power struggle, the German ambassador in Caracas has announced the beginning of humanitarian aid. Daniel Kriener said the five million euros promised by the federal government would now flow into various projects. Previously, the opposition-dominated National Assembly had voted to allow relief supplies into the country.
Ambassador Kriener said that Venezuela’s case is not a humanitarian crisis triggered by natural disasters or armed conflicts. „It’s a humanitarian, multi-layered humanitarian emergency, and we know that the crisis of Venezuelan institutions can not be solved overnight, but this emergency can not wait for the political weather.“
Borders with the Caribbean Islands closed
Venezuela’s socialist government continues to reject international humanitarian aid and has put the army on alert. The sea and air border with the nearby Caribbean ABC islands has been closed. On the border with Colombia, soldiers are securing a passage through which relief supplies could reach Venezuela.
Army chief Padrino López rejected US President Donald Trump’s call for the military to join Transitional President Juan Guaidó. The army could not be blackmailed. Surrounded by commanders-in-chief, López said that if the US wanted to use a puppet government, they would have to go over the bodies of these men.
The power struggle in Venezuela is heading for another climax: on 23 February, Guaidó has called on his supporters to bring in foreign relief supplies waiting to be transported to the border in Colombia.
