Latin America

• Saturday, February 9th 2019 - 09:15 UTC

  Maduro's protection in the hands of the Cuban security and intelligence services

  

  Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro is increasingly leaning on the protection and support of his Cuban backers, amid mounting global pressures to leave office, according to several senior U.S. officials. Adm. Craig Faller, head of U.S. Southern Command, told U.S. senators on Thursday that Havana “owns the security around Maduro and is deeply entrenched in the intelligence service.”

• Friday, February 8th 2019 - 11:41 UTC

  International Contact Group on Venezuela calls for fresh, transparent presidential elections

  

  The European Union and a group of Latin American governments that have kept a moderate line on Venezuela called on Thursday for democratic and fresh elections, during a meeting held in Montevideo. The EU-backed International Contact Group on Venezuela said overly forceful intervention could aggravate the crisis.

• Friday, February 8th 2019 - 08:43 UTC

  Humanitarian aid arrives to Cucuta, a bridge away from Venezuela

  

  Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for crisis-stricken Venezuela arrived in the Colombian border city of Cucuta on Thursday as diplomatically-isolated President Nicolas Maduro appeared set to block its entry amid an escalating political crisis.

• Thursday, February 7th 2019 - 11:14 UTC

  “Neutral-neutralized” Uruguay hosts international gathering on the Venezuelan situation

  

  Montevideo, the capital of “neutral/neutralized” Uruguay is hosting this Thursday an international gathering with countries of the Americas and the European Union to address, and attempt to solve or find a way out to the delicate and worsening situation in Venezuela.

• Thursday, February 7th 2019 - 10:11 UTC

  Guaido insists with humanitarian aid for Venezuela, but the Army blocks access

  

  Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido stepped up efforts on Wednesday to win recognition from EU holdout states and insisted the armed forces allow desperately needed humanitarian aid to enter the country.

• Wednesday, February 6th 2019 - 09:22 UTC

  “Neutral” Uruguay's name mentioned in attempts to drain Venezuelan coffers

  

  A bank in Portugal has blocked Venezuela’s attempt to transfer US$ 1.2 billion to Uruguay, a lawmaker said on Tuesday as the opposition to President Nicolas Maduro warned of the theft of public funds, while the United States sent food and medical aid to the Venezuelan-Colombian border.

• Wednesday, February 6th 2019 - 08:58 UTC

  US humanitarian aid stationed at the Colombia/Venezuela border

  

  Trucks carrying food and medical supplies sent by the United States to be stockpiled until it can be brought into Venezuela will arrive later this week at Guaido’s request and will be prepositioned at the main Colombian-Venezuelan border crossing at Cucuta, U.S. sources revealed

• Tuesday, February 5th 2019 - 09:07 UTC

  European allies bend to join 'gringo empire' approach

  

  The decision to promote Juan Guaidó as a rival president to Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela was clearly made in Washington, not in Caracas. The speed with which U.S. allies in the Americas and western Europe recognised Guaidó’s claim on Jan. 23 to be the legitimate president of Venezuela would not have been possible without a lot of prior coordination — and a lot of pressure by the Trump administration.

• Tuesday, February 5th 2019 - 08:58 UTC

  Latin American countries call on Venezuelan military to support interim president Juan Guaidó

  

  A group of Latin American countries and Canada has urged the Venezuelan military to support opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president. In a statement, 11 of the 14 members of the Lima Group called for a change of power without the use of force and the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid.

• Monday, February 4th 2019 - 09:26 UTC

  Independent on an anti-corruption ticket sweeps to victory in El Salvador

  

  A former mayor campaigning on an anti-corruption ticket swept to victory in El Salvador’s presidential election on Sunday, bringing an end to a two-party system that has held sway over the violence-plagued Central American country for three decades.