Hands off Venezuela

TODAY, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans will try to breach the country's borders to reach vital humanitarian aid to take back to their fellow citizens. The supplies from the US have been parked at various points of the border closed off by embattled president Nicolas Maduro.

The throng will be met by military forces loyal to Maduro. The encounter could spark violent conflict spark violent clashes. Watching closely is the United States who, after intensifying sanctions on Maduro identified opposition leader Juan Guaido as president of Venezuela. The US has also signalled that it will have the right to enter the country on humanitarian grounds if there is any violent conflict between citizens and the Venezuelan military. And the message from a number of groups in TT is to keep out of the country's crisis. The groups include Movement for Social Justice headed by David Abdulah, and the Emancipation Support Committee under Khafra Kambon.

“Hands off Venezuela!” chanted Abdulah, Kambon and others as they called for other nations to stay out of the country’s business. The groups made the call while at the front stairs of the Venezuelan Embassy in Port of Spain yesterday.

“We are saying, as nationals of Trinidad and Tobago and representing many organisations that have many members, that there should be no military intervention (in Venezuela), that this claim of humanitarian aid made by the United States is a pretext for other agendas, and if they are genuinely concerned about the people of Venezuela, then the United States must remove the sanctions imposed on them so that the Venezuelan government can access resources that belong to the people of Venezuela to deal with the problems of Venezuela, and they much approach the situation in the way that the Montevideo Mechanism has identified.” Abdulah said.

The Montevideo Mechanism - a diplomatic intervention endorsed by Uruguay, Mexico and Caricom to assist in resolving the Venezuelan crisis - has many phases which include another election and establishing commissions to verify several issues, but has been rejected by many countries who regard it as time-wasting.

Prior to major protests in Venezuela and the recognition of Guaido as “interim president” Venezuela had an election with Maduro rejecting the results, calling it “illegitimate”. This led to intensified sanctions by the US and other UN member-countries, causing further economic and political strife.

Abdulah said the sanctions on one hand and the offer of humanitarian aid on the other, are part of a strategy that would impose the will of the US on Venezuela. He also said current stories in the media which have pointed to the Venezuelans' desire to have Maduro removed as president, are part of a propaganda engine that would serve the US purpose of getting a foothold in Venezuela.

“What they are doing is creating the same international environment that they did prior to the invasion of Iraq, when they said there were weapons of mass destruction,” Abdulah said.

“We should seek to make it clear there is no humanitarian intention whatsoever in that whole issue," Kambon said. It is all clear that it is a pretext. Here is a country that can help itself but they are reducing it to a situation of real strife and using that as a pretext for military intervention,” Kambon added.

Abdulah called for the removal of all sanctions on Venezuela to enable the country to help itself.

“It is like you have a neighbour and he has cut off your access to your water,” Abdulah continued, “He has put a fence around your house so you cannot access the water or leave to get any. Yet he is standing at the gate offering you water, and claiming he is a humanitarian,”

Up to press time yesterday, Newsday understands at least six people were shot while trying to access the Venezuelan/Brazilian border.