Venezuela news: State uses tear gas on protestors as Pompeo threatens US military action

Competing leaders both call for people to take a stand amid violence on the streets of Caracas

Venezuelan military vehicle drives into crowd of civilians on highway

Protestors have taken to the streets in Venezuela in competing demonstrations as the battle for power continues in Caracas and beyond.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself the legitimate leader of the country, backed by the US and dozens of other nations, after accusing President Nicolas Maduro of fraudulently keeping his place in office. He has called for mass protests.

Mr Maduro has called the uprising a ‘coup’ and has said that he has subdued the ‘traitors’ in the military who have backed Mr Guaido.

He too has called for his “working class supporters” to take to the streets on Wednesday, which is International Workers’ Day.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that the US will take military action in Venezuela “if required” but would prefer a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The Pentagon on Wednesday appeared to downplay any active planning to directly intervene in Venezuela to topple President Nicolas Maduro, telling Congress it had not been given orders to prepare for war and stressing support for diplomacy.

Asked whether the US military had been given instructions to prepare for a military conflict, perhaps by prepositioning troops, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Kathryn Wheelbarger said: “We of course always review available options and plan for contingencies.”

“But in this case we have not been given (the) sort of orders that you’re discussing, no,” Ms Wheelbarger told the House Armed Services Committee.

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Key Points

• US secretary of state says US will take military action 'if required'
• What is behind the uprising in Venezuela?
• Protesters mowed down by military vehicle amid clashes
• Trump threatens Cuba with full embargo over support for Maduro

[1 May 2019 11:33 · Chris Stevenson]

Hello and welcome to out coverage of the situation in Venezuela. Thousands are expected to take to the streets today as opposition leader Juan Guaido tries to continue what has been labelled as "operation freedom" to remove President Nicolas Maduro

[1 May 2019 11:36 · Chris Stevenson]

Mr Guaido has pushed for an end to Mr Maduro's presidency, calling himself the legitimate leader of the nation after Mr Maduro kept control of power in the most recent elections. The results were widely denounced as illegitimate with Mr Maduro accused of corruption and vote rigging.

[1 May 2019 11:39 · Chris Stevenson]

Mr Guiado has been backed by the US and a host of other nations, with Washington quick to point the finger at Cuba for backing Mr Maduro.

President Donald Trump's administration has cooled relations with Cuba since coming into office, with national security advisor John Bolton labelling them part of a "troika of tyranny" in Central and South America, alongside Caracas and Nicaragua.

Mr Trump threatened Cuba with a full embargo yesterday:

[1 May 2019 11:41 · Chris Stevenson]

Mr Maduro has called the uprising a 'coup' and has said that he has subdued the 'traitors' in the military.

[1 May 2019 11:42 · Chris Stevenson]

Mr Maduro has also called for his "working class supporters" to take to the streets on Wednesday, which is International Workers' Day - leading to the possibility of clashes between the opposing sides.

[1 May 2019 11:44 · Chris Stevenson]

Many of the military's leadership have appeared on television in support of Mr Maduro, suggesting that Mr Guaido's pre-dawn announcement of military support was not as strong as he claimed.

The fact that the two sides appear at an impasses, with calls for supporters to take to the streets in a show of power means that Mr Guaido's push for control has not been as strong or as quick as he would have liked.

[1 May 2019 11:47 · Chris Stevenson]

Leopoldo Lopez, Mr Guaido's political mentor and the nation's most-prominent opposition activist, stood alongside him after being released by military factions supporting the uprising.

Detained in 2014 for leading a previous round of anti-government unrest, Mr Lopez later took refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas, Madrid confirmed.

[1 May 2019 11:48 · Chris Stevenson]

Both Mr Guaido and Mr Lopez face arrest and jail if the uprising is fully forced down by the forces of Mr Maduro.

They will need the continued support of nations like the US, with Mr Bolton making clear yesterday that Washington could continue to offer what it could.

[1 May 2019 11:51 · Chris Stevenson]

The unrest in Venezuela, which comes amid economic turmoil that has left millions without basic supplies and thousands fleeing over the border into Colombia can be traced back years.

[1 May 2019 12:03 · Chris Stevenson]

Donald Trump's national security advisor John Bolton has been tweeting again this morning. The reference to "foreign security forces" is likely a reference to both Cuba and Russia.