Venezuela ‘ready for aid,’ says Maduro

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the country was ready to receive international aid following a meeting in Caracas with the global Red Cross chief.

“We confirm our readiness to establish cooperation mechanisms for international assistance and support,” Maduro wrote on Twiter.

The president, who denies that the current situation in Venezuela can be described as a humanitarian crisis, reiterated ater the meeting that collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) should respect “the Venezuelan legal order.”

An ICRC delegation led by its president Peter Maurer has been in the South American country since Saturday and is due to finish its visit on Wednesday.

The ICRC said last Friday in a statement it was “concerned by the serious impact that the current situation has on Venezuelans, especially those who do not have access to basic services.” Venezuela has been plunged into a deep political crisis, with opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaiming himself acting president in January.

He has since been recognised by more than 50 countries, including the United States, which wants Nicolas Maduro to step down.

With its crude exports collapsing and international sanctions piling up, Venezuela’s oil economy has crumbled. Malnutrition and disease are on the rise as living conditions plummet.

Maduro blames the country’s problems on US sanctions, while Guaido says they are down to corruption and poor governance.

According to the united nations, nearly a quarter of the 30 million Venezuelans need urgent help.

A UN report said 3.7 million people are malnourished, and at least 22 per cent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition.

A new blackout across large parts of crisis-hit Venezuela, including the capital Caracas, forced many to spend another night in the dark on Tuesday.

The electricity shortage - the biggest in a week - hit a large section of the capital, with social media posts from residents across the country suggesting significant areas in at least 20 of the 23 states of Venezuela were also affected.

No reason for the blackout was immediately given by the government or the state electricity company Corpoelec.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido - whose claim to be interim president is supported by around 50 nations - had previously called for protests against public service failures to be held on Wednesday.