The head of the PSUV for the Capital District region, Juan Carlos Dugarte, said last night that the hours-long lines at supermarkets that have become a daily occurrence throughout the country are not due to food shortages, but rather to re-sellers looking to take advantage of price controls on basic necessities.
The lines are made by people who are looking to re-sell.
Speaking to the fact that the lines often start early in the morning hours and well before supermarkets open, Dugarte said:
Lining up outside of business hours is not allowed (…) unfortunately there are groups of people who hoard, which leads to an induced scarcity. This is an economic war, and no one can refute that argument.
Bachaqueros – people who sell scarce items on the street – have become a scapegoat for the country’s scarcity crisis recently. While the government argues that the bachaqueros are essentially terrorists who are waging an economic war on the country with the goal of overthrowing Maduro, others argue that the bachaqueros are merely trying to make a living in an increasingly unlivable country.
Dugarte also said that a telephone hotline had been set up so that Caracas residents could call in and provide authorities with information regarding bachaqueros or the re-selling of regulated necessities in general. Dugarte said that the hotline would help the government provide “a quick solution to the problem”.
Colombia Asks Venezuela to Respect Citizens’ Human Rights
The Colombian government has formally requested that Venezuela respect the human rights of its citizens living in the country as Venezuelan authorities intensify security operations against smugglers along the border.
In a communique issued today, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said:
In light of the measures announced by the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, namely the announcement of a state of exception on the border with Colombia, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs must inform:
That the government of the Republic of Colombia reiterates its willingness to cooperate with the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with the goal of solidifying a binational strategy to fight smuggling. We insist on our rejection of the closure of the border; this measure generates a great social problem due to the number of people who live and move through the area legally. Moreover, there are undoubtedly economic damages being done to both countries. We must find a joint solution to the issues affecting our shared border, while at the same time minimizing the harm done to the men, women and children who live, work and study in the border zones.
The government of the Republic of Colombia asks the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, within the framework of the announced state of exception, to respect the integrity and human rights of the Colombian citizens who are detained, deported and face other actions from Venezuelan authorities, conforming to all current international norms. We demand that before deportation, family situations are analyzed in each case to ensure children and parents are united. We also ask that Colombian diplomatic authorities continue to assist all citizens affected by these measures.
The government of Colombia watches with worry as people with malicious intent share images and videos through social medias of events that have occurred in other countries and present them as if they were happening on our border, looking to increase the tension that is already felt in the area. This only serves to generate negative sentiments between two countries that are looking to move forward through dialogue and joint works.
We hope that next Wednesday, August 26, the bilateral meeting that will take place will allow us to advance towards joint measures for the benefit of the border area and the citizens of both countries.
Yesterday, Tachira state governor Jose Vielma Mora announced that 185 Colombian citizens had been deported and 8 “paramilitaries” had been arrested in security operations in the state.
Vielma Mora explained that two of the paramilitaries were teenagers, and that they were involved in drug and human trafficking. He also said that he “presumed” that they had something to do with the attack on Venezuelan troops last week that left three soldiers and one civilian injured.
Today, Maduro said that he would not order the border re-opened “until peace is restored and attacks from Colombia against the Venezuelan economy cease”.
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