Venezuela closes national borders with Brazil
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced today (Feb. 21) the country is closing its borders with Brazil. He is also considering shutting the frontier with Colombia, where the city of Cúcuta is located, which receives the donations to be shipped to Venezuelans.
“At 8 PM this evening [Thursday, Caracas time] the land borders with Brazil will be closed,” Maduro said during a video conference.
“I decided [that land borders with Brazil] will be completely closed until further notice. Better safe than sorry,” the Venezuelan president declared. “I want dynamic and open borders with Colombia, but with no provocations,” he added. He went on to announce a “great [musical] show” on the frontier area with Colombia.
According to unconfirmed information, military agents have been sent to Santa Helena de Uairén, on the Brazilian border.
Responsilibity
Maduro said he will hold Colombian President Iván Duque accountable for any problem found in the border area. “Venezuela is facing a great provocation, so we are revising the concept for a response. The government I lead is in the avant-garde of the protection of people,” he said.
Maduro spoke during a visit to the top Army quarters Fuerte Tiuna. He also took part in a video conference broadcast on TV and posted on his Twitter account. “We’ll fight for the fatherland. Our goal is victory, always. Chávez lives,” he declared.
Destabilization
Maduro argues there has been a campaign aimed at destabilizing his government. He criticized efforts to bring humanitarian aid, describing them as a “global show” that takes advantage of Venezuela’s needs to draw attention to itself.
The Venezuelan head of state said he hopes peace and victory “triumph” over what he termed “psychological war.” Each provocation will be given a response by Venezuela, he said.
In his address, Maduro expressed gratitude for the “loyalty” of the military and mentioned the slogan “always loyal, never traitorous.” As a humanist, he said, he loves the people and the country “above anything.”
*With information from VTV, Venezuela’s public TV broadcaster
