Opposition leader says humanitarian aid finally made it into Venezuela

Bags of humanitarian aid sent to help Venezuelans.

(Image credit: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images)

published 12 February 2019

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido announced Monday evening that despite a military blockade, he was able to get some humanitarian aid into the country.

People in Venezuela are experiencing food shortages and going without medicine and basic necessities, but President Nicolas Maduro ordered the military to put barricades up on the bridge linking Venezuela to Colombia in order to keep humanitarian aid out; he said Venezuelans aren't "beggars," and this is an attempt to undermine his presidency. For several days, the United States and other countries have been sending aid to the border town of Cucuta, Colombia.

Guaido says that last year's presidential election was a sham, and he is the legitimate leader; the United States and dozens of other countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela's president. He didn't reveal how he was able to get the aid, which included nutritional supplements, or where it came from, but did say Maduro was committing a "crime against humanity" by not letting letting aid across the border.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.