Continued Crisis in Venezuela: Several American Diplomats Leave Caracas

As the power struggle between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido, who has declared himself interim president, continues, the first group of American diplomats departed for Caracas airport on Friday morning local time. According to Reuters, the security officer at the U.S. embassy requested police to provide escort and protection for 10 vehicles on the way to the airport. This letter was leaked and published by a reporter from Venezuela's state television. An unnamed American official confirmed the authenticity of the letter. On Wednesday, following Donald Trump's decision to recognize Juan Guaido, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, as the interim president of the country, Nicolas Maduro accused the U.S. government of attempting a coup in Venezuela and gave its diplomats three days to leave the country. On Thursday, Maduro also recalled all Venezuelan diplomats from the U.S. and closed its embassy in Washington. The U.S. government did not accept Maduro's order for its diplomats to leave but instructed that non-essential personnel be evacuated from Caracas due to security concerns. The Trump administration stated that Maduro's order is illegal since Washington no longer recognizes him as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. In a live televised speech, Nicolas Maduro said, "They think Venezuela is their colony and they can do whatever they want. You must follow my orders as the government of Venezuela." The first group of U.S. embassy staff is expected to fly from Caracas to Miami around noon local time on one or two American Airlines flights. Since other airlines halted flights in 2017 due to political tensions, American Airlines is currently the only U.S. airline flying to Caracas. Reuters adds that Nicolas Maduro, with the support of armed forces, has emphasized maintaining his power, creating a potentially explosive situation in the country. Juan Guaido is expected to hold a press conference on Friday evening, and it is anticipated he may be arrested. There is no information available regarding Guaido's speech on Wednesday in front of tens of thousands of protesters and his symbolic oath to assume the presidency temporarily. He promised to defend the constitution and overthrow Maduro's government. In an interview with the Venezuelan news network Univision from an undisclosed location, Guaido stated that if Maduro and his allies help restore democracy in Venezuela, they might be granted amnesty. He added, "Amnesty is a possibility. These guarantees include individuals willing to stand by the constitution and assist in restoring the legal system." In addition to the U.S. and Canada, many Latin American countries have recognized Juan Guaido as the new leader of Venezuela, and several European countries have also supported him. Donald Trump promised to use "the full weight" of U.S. economic and diplomatic power to restore democracy in Venezuela. So far, the governments of Russia, Iran, Turkey, China, Cuba, and Syria have declared their support for Nicolas Maduro's government.