US Orders Venezuela Embassy Families Out As Crisis “Showdown” Arrives
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Jul 28, 2017
On Thursday, the U.S. government ordered family members of employees at its embassy in Venezuela to leave as the nation’s political crisis deepened ahead of a controversial vote critics contend will end democracy in the oil-rich country. Similarly, Canada warned its nationals against non-essential travel to Venezuela and urged citizens already there to leave. As well as ordering relatives to leave, the U.S. State Department on Thursday also authorized the voluntary departure of any U.S. government employee at its compound-like hilltop embassy in Caracas, where hyperinflation is about to hit 1,000%.
Meanwhile, as France 24 notes, Venezuela careened towards a “showdown” on its streets Friday between anti-government protesters and security forces, raising international alarm at worsening deadly unrest. The opposition called fresh nationwide demonstrations to defy a new government ban on rallies ahead of a controversial vote Sunday to elect a body to rewrite the constitution.
As protests mount, culminating with a two-day general strike that ended on Thuesday, violence has continued to rage on the street, with Reuters reporting that another seven people were killed during the latest opposition-led strike against President Nicolas Maduro’s planned election for a powerful new Constituent Assembly on Sunday. Four months of protests against unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro have already claimed 112 lives, according to prosecutors.
The state prosecutor’s office said four people died on Thursday amid the unrest: A 49-year-old man in Carabobo state, a 23 year-old in Lara state, a 29 year-old in Anzoategui state and a 16-year old in the middle class Caracas area of El Paraiso. A 23-year-old man and a 30-year-old man were also killed in western Merida state and a 16-year-old boy was killed in the poor Caracas neighborhood of Petare during clashes on Wednesday. This week’s death toll topped last week’s one-day strike, when five people were killed.
On Friday, Maduro’s critics plan to pile more pressure on the unpopular socialist leader by holding roadblocks across the nation dubbed “The Takeover of Venezuela”. “We’re going to keep fighting, we’re not leaving the streets,” said opposition lawmaker Jorge Millan.
Tensions have been heightened by a decree from Maduro banning protests and warning that anyone who marches against the “Constituent Assembly” risks up to 10 years in prison. The opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, shot back with a tweet saying “the regime declared we can’t demonstrate… We will respond with the TAKING OF VENEZUELA.”
The Rest…HERE
