Blackfire Posted February 9, 2019 Posted February 9, 2019 Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has vowed to open humanitarian aid routes into the country in defiance of the government. Mr Guaidó, who has declared himself interim president, called on volunteers to help with distribution and said his plans would be ready next week. Footage shows soldiers blocking a key bridge at the border with Colombia. A government official called aid "a Trojan horse" and said the country had a duty to defend its borders. "According to our constitution, we have the righ t and the duty to defend our borders peacefully," said Freddy Bernal. He accused US president Donald Trump, who has endorsed the opposition leader, of just wanting to exploit Venezuelan oil. Why is aid needed? resident Nicolás Maduro, who has the support of the army, has rejected letting foreign aid into the country. Last week a tanker and cargo containers blocked the Simon Bolivar International Bridge, which links Venezuela to its more stable neighbour to the west. The blockages were still there on Friday, and many soldiers were seen standing guard. Mr Guaidó does not control any territory in Venezuela so, instead, he is planning to set up collection centres in neighbouring countries to which Venezuelans have fled. He said he wanted to set up an international coalition to gather aid at three points, and press Venezuela's army to let it into the country. Food and medicine organised by the US federal government's USAID agency arrived on T Millions of people have fled Venezuela as hyperinflation and other economic troubles render food and medicines scarce. Since the outbreak of the current political crisis, Washington has announced sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industry.
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