Latin American powers warned against the risk of violence in Venezuela as it braced for big protests today in a deadly political and economic crisis.
Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos expressed “serious concern” about the Venezuelan army’s role, after his and 10 other countries urged peaceful demonstrations.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro rallied the military and civilian militia on Monday as he vowed to resist the opposition’s efforts to remove him from office.
“We view with serious concern the militarisation of Venezuelan society. We call for good sense,” Santos wrote on Twitter.
The centre-right opposition is protesting against moves by authorities to tighten Maduro’s grip on power.
Pressure on Maduro has risen in an economic crisis aggravated by a fall in prices for Venezuela’s crucial oil exports, which has triggered severe shortages of food and medicine.
Earlier 11 regional powers including Argentina, Brazil and Mexico bewailed the deaths of several protesters in recent clashes.
They urged Venezuelan authorities to “guarantee the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in the constitution and to prevent any violent action against the demonstrators.”
Maduro’s Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez on Twitter called the statement from the 11 countries “political selectivity,” accusing the group of endorsing “the violent vandalism of the opposition.”
At least five people have been killed and scores injured in clashes between protesters and police this month, according to Venezuelan authorities.
Venezuela’s defence minister has declared the army’s loyalty to President Maduro, who ordered troops into the streets ahead of the protest today by opponents trying to oust him.