Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido made his strongest call yet to the military to help him oust President Nicolas Maduro but there were no concrete signs of defection from the armed forces leadership. On 30 April, during the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Juan Guaidó led a group of civilian and military forces in an uprising known as “Operation Liberty” against Nicolás Maduro. As of 30 April, the uprising is ongoing with an unclear outcome. Reuters reported an “uneasy peace” by the afternoon of 30 April; however, Guaidó had called for his supporters and the country’s armed forces to take to the streets again the following day.
Opposition leader Leopoldo López—Guaidó’s mentor and Venezuela’s “most prominent opposition activist”—had been under house arrest since 2014. On 30 April, he appeared with Guaidó, with the Associated Press reporting that “he had been released from house arrest by security forces adhering to an order from Guaidó”. Shortly after 5:00 am VET, large vehicles accompanied by members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela blocked portions of the Francisco Fajardo Highway. At approximately 5:50 am VET, acting president Guaidó live-streamed a video on Periscope of himself beside López, with the two flanked by members of the Venezuelan armed forces near La Carlota Air Force Base in Caracas. Guaidó titled the initiative “Operation Liberty”, and stated: “People of Venezuela, it is necessary that we go out together to the street, to support the democratic forces and to recover our freedom. Organized and together, mobilize the main military units. People of Caracas, all to La Carlota”. López, his wife Lilian Tintori and their daughter entered the Chilean embassy in Caracas later in the day, moving to the Spanish embassy in the early morning hours of 1 May.
By 6:30 am, Minister of Information Jorge Rodriguez released a statement that the Maduro government was beginning to disperse forces loyal to Guaidó. At the same time, access to Miraflores Palace was barricaded and forces loyal to Maduro took up positions in the surrounding area. Military forces loyal to Guaidó outfitted their uniforms with blue cloth. Tear gas, fired from troops inside La Carlota Air Force Base, dispersed some forces loyal to Guaidó near the facility. Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, called for supporters to gather at Miraflores Palace to defend Maduro.
Around 8:00 am, Guaidó left the area near La Carlota and led a march heading west. Valentín Santana, leader of La Piedrita colectivo, stated at 8:30 am that “it was time to defend the revolution with weapons”, calling for support of Maduro. At approximately 8:44 am, heavy gunfire and clashes erupted near La Carlota. Videos also showed armored vehicles breaking up crowds of protesters. Spain’s El País reported that “clashes between Chavismo forces and followers of Juan Guaidó have spread through the Venezuelan capital, Caracas”. At 11:00 am, Maduro’s Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab spoke on state-run television saying that Guaidó and his supporters would face “consequences”. The march in support of Guaidó halted in Chacao around 1:50 pm after armed colectivos fired upon the rebels. PoliMiranda police forces confronted the colectivos with a gunfight ensuing.
Vladimir Padrino, Maduro’s Defense Minister, stated that the government was prepared to use weapons if necessary. Venezuela’s Green Cross volunteers report several wounded, but no tally of total numbers wounded. A National Guard armoured personnel carrier ran over protesters, captured on video “accelerating directly into a group of antigovernment protesters”. By the end of 30 April, there were over 100 were injured; the majority were hit by rubber bullets and two had gunshot wounds. One 25-year-old protester was confirmed dead after being shot in the chest during a protest in the interior state of Aragua. The Maduro government stated that five National Guardsmen and police officers were injured. A physician in a Caracas clinic stated that they had enough medical supplies for emergency care, partly because of recent efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the country.
Some Maduro allies and officials loyal to Maduro have described the events as a coup attempt. Other nations have stated that it was not a “coup” but a constitutional process. Maduro furthermore accused Argentina and Colombia of being “puppets of imperliastic U.S. and of coup d’etat and further accused Argentina for not allowing Venezuelans residing in Argentina to return to Venezuela.
Political Affairs 