The aid showdown is seen as a pivotal moment in the opposition’s effort to force out Maduro. In Curaçao, opposition officials had been buoyed by the willingness of the country’s foreign minister to stage aid for Venezuela, but in recent days some politicians there have raised objections to using the aid as a political weapon. Maduro’s government has used shipping containers to block a bridge between Colombia and Venezuela where US aid arrived this month. The opposition says it will try on Saturday to force aid through both the western border with Colombia and the eastern border with Brazil. On Monday, President Donald Trump warned of consequences if the aid was not allowed through, saying military leaders in Venezuela would “lose everything” if they remained loyal to Maduro.

Source: bd News24 February 21, 2019 08:37 UTC