Venezuelan interim President Juan Guaidó claimed on Monday that he successfully secured the entry of humanitarian aid into the country, despite the socialist Maduro regime using the military to block its entry.
“Today we made the first installment of the 1.7 million portions to cater to our pregnant mothers and children in a state of malnutrition,” wrote Guaidó. “In order to serve the most vulnerable people, we must organize ourselves and achieve the opening of the humanitarian channel.”
Guaidó urged people to once again take to the streets in protest to demand that the military stop blocking the entry of aid. In response to Guaidó’s plea for aid, the U.S. and other regional contributors sent three convoys containing crucial supplies of food and medicine for those most in need last week.
Venezuela is enduring the worst political and economic crisis in its history after two decades of socialist authoritarianism. Multiple reports published in the past five years indicate the average Venezuelan does not have access to three meals’ worth of food for themselves a day and the nation’s healthcare system is missing nearly every medication necessary to function, as per World Health Organization (WHO) requirements.
“Tomorrow, we will take #12Feburary #DayOfYouth to the streets to demand the entrance of the #HumanitarianAid,” he wrote. “We will give a clear message to the National Armed Forces: Join the Venezuelan fight and allow the access of food and medicines that our people need.”
“With the strength of young people we will be demanding to enter humanitarian aid and honoring the memory of so many young people who have fallen fighting for the freedom of Venezuela,” he added.
Up until now, humanitarian aid convoys have only been able to assist Venezuelan refugees able to reach the border towns in Colombia and Brazil, where the aid is being distributed.
Last week, images from the Venezuelan-Colombian border showed tankers placed across the highway to prevent the entry of aid, making it impossible for such resources to access those within the country who most desperately need it. On Sunday, dozens of doctors demonstrated on the bridge to plead with the military to stop blocking aid, pointing out that they cannot treat their patients because of a lack of basic medicines and equipment.
Blocking the entry of all foreign aid into Venezuela has long been a policy of the socialist regime, who continue to deny the existence of any economic or humanitarian catastrophe. Instead, Maduro has blamed any “difficulties” on supposed U.S. interference, even though the collapse of the country’s economy began well before the Trump administration began imposing sanctions on their vital state-controlled oil industry.
“Venezuela will not allow the entry humanitarian aid because we do not beg from anyone,” Maduro said at a press conference last week. “Venezuela is not suffering the humanitarian crisis fabricated by Washington over the last four years to justify intervening in our country.”
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.