Tårgasgranaterna rains over the bridge Simon Bolivar from Colombia, where hundreds of volunteers gathered around the trucks to bring aid supplies. Most are young men, who fled the hunger in Venezuela and try to get help in the country.
” We come with food and medicines. Not weapons, ” says one of the volunteers.
over the face to protect against the venezuelan security forces tear gas. Gummikulorna it is not possible to protect against. A tårgasgranat lands just a few feet and he kicks it so that it flies away from the bridge.
“They are not wise,” he says.
Venezuelans trying to cross the border into his country from Colombia. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano
Truck stops in the beginning of the bridge. The driver dare not run anymore. Only two hundred metres further on are the venezuelan security forces and pushes out against the crowd. Yet they volunteer to try to rush the border.
– It is in the day. We must get help, ” he says.
Suddenly it breaks the panic out on the bridge. A member how Venezuela’s dreaded task force FAES has deserterat and takes over on the colombian side of the bridge. The voluntary misunderstand his action and attack him. The colombian soldiers at the site must dispel the crowd in order to avoid a lynching. The hatred against the venezuelan mission is so large that it takes a while before the deserted elitpolisen can be put in security.
William Camacho was first attacked, but was met then with the cheers. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano
the security perimeters to the colombian migrationsmyndigheten he talks with the media.
” my name is William Camacho. I am part of the Venezuelan mission, but has chosen to jump off, ” he says, and was met by a cheer of other venezuelans on the colombian side.
” You are a hero. We’ll protect you, ” says a staff member at the migrationsmyndigheten.
On the other bridge that connects Colombia with the venezuelan border town of Ureña has three trucks managed to get through the barricades, which consisted of about fifty oil drums filled with concrete. If the aid reached the population, or if it has been seized by the venezuelan military is as yet uncertain. At the same time, reports of several injured at the border to Ureña.
The chaotic mood of the frontier bridge would Simon Bolivar started already during the night Saturday. Nicolás Maduro announced that Venezuela closes its border with Brazil, the Caribbean, and Colombia to stop the aid delivered. In Brazil led to the decision that the venezuelan soldiers shot dead two people and injured 22 people who tried to cross the border. The venezuelan regime justified the closure of the border with their neighbouring countries not to obey orders from the president of the united states Donald Trump. The venezuelan dictator has previously said that the aid delivered is an attempt to invade Venezuela.
the president cease their hostile actions and ends to follow Trumps calls to action that harms our right to live in peace, ” says Venezuela’s former foreign minister, Delcy Rodríguez.
Image 1 of 3 Soldiers of the Colombian army are in place at the border with Venezuela where the atmosphere is tense. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slide 2 of 3 Venezuelan riot police have erected their shields like a wall across the bridge. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slide 3 of 3 Volunteers who have been to organise the charity concert in Colombia. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slideshow
the Problem for the regime in Venezuela is that more and more soldiers are choosing to defect. Already at 06:45 on Saturday morning forced the two venezuelan armored vehicle barricades, which the regime set up on the frontier bridge would to Colombia. First thought the colombian soldiers it was an attempt to invade Colombia, but when the soldiers jumped out of their vehicles they wore their machine guns over their heads. They had deserterat. After soldiers disarmed they were taken to the colombian migrationskontoret at the border, and was offered a residence permit.
” We did nothing when they came running across the bridge. It looked like a hostile act. But as soon as they stretched their hands over their heads, we knew that they were deserters, ” says a colombian soldier who was eyewitness.
Among the defecting soldiers are a lieutenant and two sergeants from the venezuelan national guard. DN was in place when the debate was placed in a jeep and taken away to a safe place at the border in Colombia. At another bridge in the vicinity chose a different vaktsoldat to jump off. The venezuelan interimpresident, Juan Guiadó, which right now is in Colombia, has called on the Venezuelan military to give up and set themselves on the opposition side. At the charity concert in the colombian border town of Cúcuta on Friday stepped Juan Guaidó up on stage along with Colombian president Iván Duque, president of Chile, Sebastian Piñera and Paraguyas president Mario Benítez. They received cheers from over a hundred thousand spectators gathered at a field where the gala was held.
the colombian authorities built a camp for the venezuelans who volunteered to carry humanitarian aid. Many have slept outside and been given food and water by the authorities.
In the frontier bridge would Simon Bolivar has a bunch of venezuelan boys and girls gathered. When the regime decided to close the border during the night of Saturday invaded the gang to the bridge and threw the venezuelan stålstängslen over the bridge. Now släppar the gang removed the fence.
“They have no right to prevent us to take us home,” says Andrés Escobar, 28.
Hanvar former soldier in the venezuelan army. Now behind the he on a of stålstängslen weighing 50 kilos.
Tv: DN in place at the stödkonsert for Venezuela
“I’m going to sell the steel at the junkyard,” he says, laughing.
the venezuelan side has many venezuelans gathered to receive the aid delivered, but the regime’s elite forces have to meet their compatriots with tear gas. A bus with volunteers who went to the border to help with getting help has been set on fire. There are also reports of shootings on the venezuelan side, where the regime tries to prevent the population from taking part of the aid delivered by the united states.
” We will with the humanitarian help. Weapons do not. Let us appeal Joelsy Vargas.
Image 1 of 3 Joelsy Vargas wants to get into Venezuela from Colombia. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slide 2 of 3 Venezuelans during the charity concert in Colombia. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slide 3 of 3 Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slideshow
She has been on the välgörenhetsgalan that the british billionaire Richard Branson arranged on Friday to collect money to Venezuela. She slept over in Colombia, and now can not come home because the country’s dictator Nicolás Maduro closed the country’s borders.
” I am venezuelan. It is my right to cross this border, ” she says.
that shoots tear gas against aid delivered, but they also have the support of a hundred men who belong to the Venezuelan paramilitary forces. They are in plain clothes, called Los Colectivos and have a free hand to shoot those trying to cross the bridge.
” We are terrified of the Los Colectivos. It is they who kill the protesters, ” says William Gaunas.
Image 1 of 2 ”Leave the weapons and change sides,” says William Guan to kravallpoliserna at the border. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slide 2 of 2 William Guan. Photo: Luis Barnardo Cano Slideshow
He comes from the town of El Tigre in Venezuela and fled to Colombia a year ago to get hold of food. He has lost 12 pounds, sleeps on a shelter for refugees and surviving on food from a soup kitchen in which the catholic church opened for the fleeing venezuelans have at the border in Colombia.
” Maduro must go! Otherwise many, many more to die, ” he says.
Read more: He led the however attempt to overthrow Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela
Read more: Venezuela’s military shot dead two civilians at the border to Brazil
