Venezuela’s Juan Guaido vows to bring in US aid

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido told tens of thousands of supporters on February 12 that desperately-needed humanitarian aid would be brought into the country on February 23, despite opposition from President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaidó said new collection points and routes into the country would allow volunteers to bring the aid in.

"It's sure that the humanitarian aid will enter Venezuela because the usurper will have no choice but to leave Venezuela," said self-proclaimed acting president Guaido.

Guaidó appeared to be relying on volunteers - he called on 250,000 people who signed up online to organize themselves over the weekend, "because we're going to have to go in caravans".

US aid has been piling up in Colombia at the border with crisis-hit Venezuela but until now the bridge border crossing has been barricaded by the military, under Maduro's orders.

Venezuelans are facing drastic food shortages amid an economic crisis.

"We have almost 300,000 Venezuelans who will die if the aid doesn't enter. There are almost two million at health risk," said Guaido, recognized by 50 countries after declaring himself as Venezuela's interim leader.

Taking his authority from the constitution, National Assembly leader Guaido considers Maduro "illegitimate" following his reelection last year in a poll widely viewed as fraudulent.

Guaido is trying to force the socialist leader from power so he can set up a transitional government and hold new presidential elections.

Guaidó, who has been recognized by the US and most Western governments as interim president of Venezuela, told his supporters in the capital that humanitarian aid would be brought into Venezuela on 23 February.

Some 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled since 2015, as hyperinflation rendered salaries and savings worthless.

Maduro denies there is a humanitarian emergency and has branded the crisis a "political show" and pretext for a US-led invasion.

Venezuela is oil dependent and sells more than 40 percent of its crude, which makes up 96 percent of its revenue, to the US, while Washington is using sanctions as an attempt to starve Maduro's regime of its funding. "Venezuela is in the eye of a global geopolitical hurricane," said Maduro, who claims Trump is trying to force him out in order to take control of Venezuela's oil reserves, the largest in the world.