Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared on Thursday flanked by soldiers at an army base in Caracas, in a show of defiance towards his opponents. Maduro called on the armed forces to defeat “any coup plotter”, following two days of clashes between opposition and pro-government forces.
A Caracas Court released this Thursday an arrest warrant against the leader of the opposition party Voluntad Popular, Leopoldo López, for “violating” the domiciliary arrest measure, Venezuelan Supreme Court announced.
Demonstrators clashed violently with police on the streets of the Venezuelan capital on Tuesday, spurred by opposition leader Juan Guaido's call on the military to rise up against President Nicolas Maduro, whose government said it was putting down an attempted coup.
The United States claimed on Tuesday that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was on his way out, saying he had a plane ready and that senior officials were plotting to oust him, even as the leftist firebrand appeared to survive a military uprising.
The president in charge of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, announced from the military air base of La Carlota that since Tuesday, April 30, Operation Libertad began to “cease the usurpation” of Nicolás Maduro's regime. Civilians gathered at the east of Caracas in support of the military insurrection and Military supporters of Maduro government took part of the base of the Military Aviation, armed with long weapons.
Brazil's foreign minister on Monday voiced high hopes for a major rally planned this week in Venezuela by Juan Guaido, the country's self-proclaimed president. Guaido, who is recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States and Brazil, has called protests for the May 1 workers' holiday that he has vowed will be “the biggest in the history” of Venezuela.
Ambassadors designated by Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader recognized by most Western nations as the country's president, have met in Colombia to discuss how to win the support of China and Russia, staunch allies of President Nicolas Maduro.
A U.S. citizen arrested in Venezuela in 2014 on weapons trafficking and attempted murder charges his family called trumped-up was released this week, his family said in a statement on Friday. Todd Leininger, 37, was arrested in western Tachira state where he and his Venezuelan wife were visiting his sister-in-law.
Supporters of the late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, should have a place at the table in a democratic Venezuela, US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said at the Atlantic Council in Washington this week.
Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó called on Friday for the biggest demonstration in history to put pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to step down. The National Assembly head launched a challenge to Maduro's authority in January, declaring himself acting president.