Venezuelan authorities have blocked the Tienditas international bridge in Tachira state, presumably in anticipation of the humanitarian convoy that was scheduled to bring aid to Venezuela across the bridge later this week. The barricades were first reported yesterday. According to El Nacional, they were erected by the National Guard.
Two days ago, Colombia’s El Tiempo reported that some 60 tonnes of humanitarian aid would be delivered into Venezuela across the bridge, which connects the city of Cucuta in Colombia to Ureña in Venezuela.
Below, an image of the bridge as it appeared this morning with barricades to block the entry of aid into Venezuela:
More shots of the bridge and the barricades from different angles:
Footage from the bridge:
Carlos Holmes Trujillo, the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, reacted to the barricades today by saying that preventing aid from entering the country was “a crime”, and that doing so would “harm the Venezuelan people”.
Holmes also said that the aid destined for Venezuela had already arrived via air, and that the authorities were working to make sure the aid was ready for deliver.
U.S. To “Consider” Sanction Relief for “Senior” Regime Defectors
United States National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a tweet today that the White House would “consider off-ramps” for senior Maduro regime officials who defect. Bolton said:
Since 2017, the United States has placed sanctions on at least 50 individuals connected to the Maduro regime. Those sanctions typically prohibit the named individuals from traveling to the United States, freeze their assets in that country, and ban U.S. entities from conducting business with them.
Bolton’s tweet came just minutes before Florida Senator Marco Rubio said on his account that the U.S. was “willing to abide” by the opposition-crafted amnesty law, which would grant amnesty to soldiers and civil servants who “collaborate” with the restoration of democracy in the country:
Maduro Visits Army Base in Zulia
Maduro was in Zulia state today visiting the Rafael Urdaneta airbase.
In the video below, Maduro greets a row of pilots at the base:
Below, Maduro watches fighter jets taxi for takeoff:
In the video below, Maduro joins a large group of soldiers inside a hangar:
I am but another soldier of our dignified [National Bolivarian Armed Forces], ready to give my life, if necessary, to defend every palm of our sacred Homeland [sic].
Questions/Comments? E-mail me: invenezuelablog@gmail.com
In Venezuela 