Venezuela to stage concerts to rival billionaire Richard Branson’s Live Aid-style show on Colombia side of border

Venezuela’s government will stage two concerts on the Colombian border this weekend to compete with a “Live Aid”-style show announced by British billionaire Richard Branson to raise funds for food and medicine for the South American country.

Increasingly internationally isolated President Nicolas Maduro, who denies there is a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, says Western relief efforts coordinated by the opposition are part of a US-orchestrated coup to overthrow him.

Branson said last week he was organising a concert on February 22 to raise funds for aid for Venezuela in the Colombian border city of Cucuta, where donations provided by the United States and others are already being stockpiled.

The move has evoked comparisons to Irish rock star Bob Geldof’s global Live Aid concert to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Branson has said he wants to raise US$100 million in 60 days.

Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday that the government was also planning concerts on February 22 and 23, on the Simon Bolivar bridge connecting the country with Cucuta, with the slogan “nothing for war, hands off Venezuela”.

The government would also hand out food to poor residents of Cucuta this weekend, he said in televised statements – a “cynical” move, according to opposition leader Juan Guaido, given shortages of food in Venezuela.

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Guaido last month invoked constitutional provisions to assume the presidency, arguing Maduro was re-elected in a sham election, and has since been recognised as Venezuela’s legitimate leader by dozens of nations.

He said on Monday that the government’s statements would not alter the opposition’s plans to bring in aid from neighbouring countries via land and sea on Saturday with the help of volunteers nationwide.

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“This does not in the slightest change our plan to generate pressure, to ensure the arrival of the aid,” Guaido said at a news briefing.

The opposition has urged the military, which remains loyal to Maduro, to let the aid in. Maduro announced on state television Monday that his government would import 300 tonnes of aid from Russia that he said will arrive soon.

In a speech also on Monday, US President Donald Trump warned members of Venezuela’s military who are helping Maduro to stay in power that they are risking their future and their lives and urged them to allow humanitarian aid into the country.

Up to 300,000 people are expected to attend Branson’s concert on Friday featuring Spanish-French singer Manu Chao, Mexican band Mana, Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz and Dominican artist Juan Luis Guerra.

Branson said that it is not funded by any government and that all the artists are performing for free. The plan is to raise donations from viewers watching the concert on a live-stream over the internet.

“Venezuela sadly has not become the utopia that the current administration of Venezuela or the past administration were hoping for, and that has resulted in a lot of people literally dying from lack of medical help,” Branson said in a telephone interview from Necker, his private island in the British Virgin Islands.

“I think it will draw attention to the problem on a global basis.”

Branson said he hopes that Venezuela’s armed forces, until now loyal to Maduro, will allow the aid to reach Venezuelans.

“We want to make it a joyous occasion. And we’re hoping that sense prevails and that the military allows the bridge to be open so that much-needed supplies can be sent across.”

Additional reporting by Associated Press and Bloomberg