Riots in Venezuela Explained
The Venezuelan riots have been going on for the past couple of weeks. Many activists have been protesting Maduro’s government. But why are they protesting?
On January 11th, 2019, Nicolás Maduro started his second term as president of Venezuela. Many anti government protesters claim that Maduro is a dictator instead of a president. This has delayed local elections in Venezuela. The last vote was in 2015 for parliament. Many families in Venezuela have been facing food shortages and have no access to clean water, medicine, or toiletries. The prices on food and medicine have gone up so drastically that people have to resort to eating trash. Many people, including children, have been dying because of the medicine shortage. 80% of people in Venezuela do not have access to enough food to feed their families. Where has this money been going? The government has been spending most of it. There is only $10.5 billion left
On January 23, Juan Guiadó declared himself president of Venezuela until another election is held. Guiadó is the leader of the National Assembly which is known for opposing Maduro. Venezuelans took to the streets after the announcement was made demanding that Maduro step down. Many countries recognize that Guiadó is the legitimate president of Venezuela such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, France, Britain, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Honduras, and many more. Countries that back Mauduro include Russia, Cuba, China, and Turkey.
The riots have been violent. Nine people have died and many have been injured. Many journalists have been injured while reporting on the riots. Most of the people protesting are against Maduro; however, there are a few outliers who are protesting Guiado.
Most of the protests are being held in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas. To stop these protests, the military has resorted to violence. In one video, the National Guard is shown hitting protesters with their trucks. The truck is also shown on fire but it is not clear whether a protester ignited the fire or if the truck did that to stop the protesters. Maduro has threatened to use government militias on the protesters to stop riots.
Many people in Venezuela are suffering because of all this chaos. Families are starving because they do not have the resources to survive. If you have any money to donate to these families, please do! Even if you don’t have any money, please spread the word on what’s happening in Venezuela. Many will continue to suffer because of what Maduro’s government has done.
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