Venezuela protesters march for first time in months in bid to revive flagging anti-Maduro revolt

Supporters of Juan Guaido protested in Caracas in their first major showing in months as Venezuela’s opposition leader seeks to revive his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

A week after Maduro’s ally Evo Morales was toppled in Bolivia, Guaido is seeking to boost thinning crowds that have grown apathetic since a botched uprising in April failed to remove Maduro. Protesters played drums and sang anti-Maduro songs as they gathered on Saturday in the streets of eastern Caracas.

“I’m here because we cannot continue living like this,” said protester Maribel Risquez, a 51-year-old hairdresser. “My 25-year-old son died of lung cancer because we could not find the medicines he needed. We have to protest without fear until we change this government.”

Venezuela has been relatively quiet as Guaido lost momentum, even as violent protests wracked Latin American countries from Ecuador to Chile. Guaido drew crowds of hundreds of thousands at the start of the year, but many followers now doubt that he can unseat Maduro.

“Let’s go to the streets to meet again for our greatest demand: Venezuela,” Guaido said on Twitter. Maduro supporters also marched in downtown Caracas in support of the president.