Venezuela landslide kills at least 39 people, over 50 missing on Sunday
Determined opposition forces continued their assault against the government of Nicolas Maduro on Sunday and continued pounding oil refineries which have since July 2018 been at the center of the battle for power and resources. More than 60,000 people have been killed in seven years and the country is in a deep economic crisis.
A combination of factors are driving the country’s descent into chaos. Maduro’s socialist government has been blamed for multiple economic crises which have led to the loss of a fortune through hyperinflation and low oil profits.
Maduro’s government has also been accused of failing to fight crime in an effort to quell the unrest which has driven more than 20,000 people to flee the country.
On Friday, thousands of Bolivarian National Guards members surrounded several oil refineries to try to prevent the takeover of the facilities by the opposition. It is the first time that the government has attempted an offensive against Venezuela’s oil industry.
A massive opposition movement has been rising in protest against Maduro, whose socialist policies have driven millions to flee the country.
On Sunday, opposition forces continued a march toward Valencia, on the southern tip of the country, which was supposed to be their final, key battleground to oust Maduro.
In front of large crowds, people carrying Venezuelan flags and Bolivarian National Guards stood in the rain, chanting: “We want Maduro!” As the crowd dispersed, a man in a military uniform with a pistol strapped to his right hip stood at a spot only feet from their feet.
Opposition leader Julio Borges said: “We will not leave here until Maduro is finally gone.
A man watches Venezuela’s Army National Guard parade through Caracas on Sunday.
“We are here to defeat corruption and to bring peace to our country. And that’s what we are going to do,” Borges, 41, told Reuters.
“Those people who come with the military don’t understand. They’re not used to fighting.