Maduro rallies troops against 'traitors'
May 2, 2019
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sought to rally the military on Thursday in the wake of an unsuccessful coup against him.
He called on the armed forces to oppose anyone involved in opposition leader Juan Guaido's latest attempt to oust his regime.
"The time for combat has arrived, the time has arrived to give an example to history and the world and to say that in Venezuela there are armed forces ... united like never before, defeating coup attempts of traitors who sell themselves to the dollars from Washington," Maduro told 4,500 military personnel at a televised event.
"No one can be afraid, it is the hour to defend our right to peace," Maduro said with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and military operations chief Remigio Ceballos at his side who declared allegiance.
Maduro said the army was "united, cohesive and subordinate to their constitutional mandate" just two days after Venezuelans took to the streets to try and force him from power. Military support for the coup failed to materialize substantially on Wednesday.
The attempted uprising led to two days of protests, which left at least four people dead.
Opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez was also the subject of an arrest warrant after violating a house arrest order and appearing alongside Guaido. Lopez sought refuge at the Chilean Embassy with his wife and daughter before moving to the residence of the Spanish ambassador. Spain has said it has no intention of handing him over to Venezuelan authorities.
Read more: Venezuela: New protests as Maduro claims victory
International pressure mounts
Andreas Nick, a member of the foreign policy committee in the Bundestag told DW he was calling for further sanctions on Maduro to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power.
"What we should be urging more for is really sanctions on the Maduro-Regime — not on the people of Venezuela, but on individuals of the regime." Nick raised the option of visa restrictions for family members and further freezing European-held assets.
US President Donald Trump said, "The brutal repression of the Venezuelan people must end, and it must end soon."
Read more: Guaido says 'the armed forces no longer back Nicolas Maduro'
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said earlier there were cracks in the Venezuelan military that could still lead to the collapse of Maduro's leftist government.
Guaido heads the opposition-run National Assembly. Three months ago he invoked the constitution to declare himself interim president, which was soon recognized by dozens of countries, including the European Union member states. Maduro is backed by countries including Russia, China and Cuba.
aw/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)