BOGOTA — U.S.-supplied humanitarian aid that was earmarked for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido will now be distributed in Colombia, officials said Thursday. The so-called “humanitarian avalanche” ended in chaos as violent clashes broke out on a bridge connecting Venezuela with Colombia, where the bulk of aid is warehoused, as troops loyal to Maduro fired tear gas on opposition activists shielding the aid caravan. It said whatever remaining amounts of aid not distributed inside Colombia or directly controlled by USAID would continue to be stored on behalf of Guaido, who Colombia, the U.S. and 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela’s rightful leader. “This is the right thing to do,” said David Smilde, a Tulane University professor who has spent decades studying Venezuela. “The aid was never all that relevant given the scope of need in Venezuela, and it can help migrants in Colombia.”

Source: National Post May 30, 2019 23:36 UTC