Violence engulfs Venezuela border as aid push descends into bloodshed
- Efforts to bring food and medical supplies into crisis-hit country from Colombia have failed
- Juan Guaido, who has declared himself president, has made securing humanitarian aid a core part of his plan
The push to move tonnes of humanitarian relief supplies into Venezuela on Saturday devolved into bloodshed, tear gas and deepening sense of dread, as the Nicolas Maduro administration showed the lengths it would go to keep the aid out.
Although organisers said some food and medical supplies were moved from Brazil into southern Venezuela, efforts from Colombia failed.
On the international bridge that connects Colombia to the Venezuelan town of Urena, a truck packed with aid crossed the border only to catch fire. Organisers blamed the authorities for the arson. At a second crossing, the Simon Bolivar bridge, efforts to move aid by truck and foot were received with a cloud of tear gas and plastic pellets that injured more than 50 people – at least two seriously – and kept the convoy from advancing.
As the day went on, the crowds in Colombia grew more belligerent, hauling rocks and Molotov cocktails to the front line to battle pro-government gangs, called “Colecitvos,” and the military.
“It’s rocks versus guns,” one woman said, as she poured vinegar on a T-shirt to ward off the effects of tear gas. “This isn’t a fair fight.”