Currents News Staff
Gun shots, protests and chaos ensued as attempts to oust Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro appear to be reaching a climax. The country’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, has made a play for the support of the nation’s military.
Guaidó declared the “start of the end” for president Nicolas Maduro. He is calling it ‘Operation Freedom. He asked the country’s military to join and told his supporters to take to the streets.
Guaidó has aligned himself with newly-freed Maduro opponent Leopoldo Lopez. Lopez, who was under house arrest, has been signaling that the opposition has now received support from parts of the Venezuelan military.
Maduro is not backing down. He’s taken to Twitter to say that he’s met with regional defense bodies, which have expressed “total loyalty.”
Meanwhile in Washington, President Trump tweeted that “the United States stands with the people of Venezuela and their freedom.” This comes as his administration voices support for Guaidó.
“This is an act of bravery by Guaidó, and others really for the freedom of the Venezuelan people,” said National Security Advisor John Bolton. He says all options are on the table, but right now the focus is on a peaceful transition of power from Maduro to Guaidó.
“The sooner Maduro is gone, the sooner is the possibility of justice and real economic growth for the Venezuelan people,” he continued.