Rioting breaks out in Venezuela amid 'attempted coup'

CARACUS:
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday called for a military uprising to oust President Nicolas Maduro and violence broke out at anti-government protests as the country hit a new crisis point after years of political and economic chaos.

Several dozen armed troops accompanying Guaido clashed with soldiers supporting Maduro at a rally outside the La Carlota air base in Caracas, but the incident fizzled out and did not appear to be part of an immediate attempt by the opposition to take power through military force.

Russia asks US to stop 'blackmail' after new Venezuela sanctions

Guaido, in a video posted on Twitter earlier on Tuesday, wrote that he had begun the “final phase” of his campaign to topple Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the armed forces to back him ahead of May Day mass street protests planned for Wednesday.

Protests broke out on Tuesday. A National Guard armored car slammed into anti-Maduro protesters who were throwing stones and hitting the vehicle in Caracas, television images showed.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino called the latest instability a “coup movement” but several hours after Guaido’s announcement there was no sign of any other anti-Maduro military activity and no immediate reports of casualties.

Guaido later left a rally he was holding with military supporters at the air base. Repeated opposition attempts to force Maduro, a socialist, from power through huge protests and calls on the military to act have so far failed.

Maduro said on Tuesday he had spoken with military leaders and that they had shown him “their total loyalty.”

“Nerves of steel!” Maduro wrote on Twitter. “I call for maximum popular mobilization to assure the victory of peace. We will win!”

The move was Guaido’s boldest effort yet to persuade the military to rise up against Maduro. If it fails, it could be seen as evidence that he lacks the support he says he has. It might also encourage the authorities, who have already stripped him of parliamentary immunity and opened multiple investigations into him, to arrest him.

The United States is among some 50 countries that recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s president, and has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro, who they say won re-election last year through fraud.

“Whatever happens now, we won’t let ourselves be stopped. Our process is moving on step by step, in accordance with our constitution. We continue to stand for nonviolence,” Guaido told German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle in an interview released on Tuesday.

US targets Cuba's oil supply from Venezuela in new sanctions

Oil prices topped $73, partly driven higher by the uncertainty in Venezuela, an OPEC member whose oil exports have been hit by U.S. sanctions and an economic crisis.

Guaido’s efforts appeared aimed at building momentum toward the May Day mass street protests and making them a turning point in his push to oust Maduro.

Guaido has said Wednesday’s protests will be “the largest march in Venezuela’s history” and part of what he calls the “definitive phase” of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

TRUMP BRIEFED

Venezuela is mired in a deep economic crisis despite its vast oil reserves. Shortages of food and medicine have prompted more than 3 million Venezuelans to emigrate in recent years.

The slump has worsened this year with large areas of territory left in the dark for days at a time by power outages, cutting off water supplies and cellphone service.

Guaido, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.

Erdogan condemns 'coup attempt'

While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "coup attempt"  after self-proclaimed opposition leader Juan Guaido said he had the support of troops to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

"As a country which fought against coups and experienced the negative consequences caused by coups, we condemn the coup attempt in Venezuela," Erdogan, a close ally of Maduro, wrote on Twitter.

"The entire world must respect the people's democratic preferences in Venezuela."

UN calls for calm

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also appealed to all sides in Venezuela to avoid violence after self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido said he had the support of troops to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Guterres "urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint, and he appeals to all stakeholders to avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

The United Nations was in contact with both sides, said the spokesman adding that it was "not for the secretary general to give support for one party or another."

He stressed that the focus of the UN chief was to "ensure that everything is done to avoid violence and that calm be restored."

Guterres has repeatedly called for dialogue to end the political standoff in Venezuela that has exacerbated a humanitarian crisis affecting one in four Venezuelans, according to UN figures.