MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Maduro increasing the civilian militia by a million to three million by end of 2019

Maduro praised the civilian militia for its readiness to “defend, with arms in hand, peace, sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and the life of our homeland”

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has said he wants a million more people to join his civilian militia by the end of the year. The call to expand the militia - which answers directly to Mr. Maduro - comes as opposition leader Juan Guaidó seeks to persuade the Venezuelan military to abandon the president. So far the military has stayed loyal.

US-backed Mr Guaidó declared himself acting president on 23 January, saying Mr Maduro's 2018 election was flawed.

According to the BBC's Americas regional editor Candace Piette, Mr Maduro's call to increase the militia numbers will be seen as an attempt to shield himself further both politically and physically.

The president praised the civilian militia for its readiness to ”defend, with arms in hand, (the) peace, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence and the life of our homeland“, during a rally in the capital, Caracas.

But he also called on the existing two million members to get involved in agriculture, as Venezuela continues to struggle with a spiraling economic crisis which has left people struggling to afford food.

”With your rifles on your shoulders, be ready to defend the fatherland and dig the furrow to plant the seeds to produce food for the community, for the people,“ Mr Maduro told the crowd of militia members.

Mr Guaidó, meanwhile, called on people to take to the streets to ”start the final phase of the end of the usurpation”. He told an anti-government rally in the capital they needed to redouble efforts to oust Mr Maduro from office.

Mr Guaidó blames Mr Maduro for the skyrocketing hyperinflation, power cuts and shortages of food and medicine which have crippled the country in recent years.