Continued Protests in Venezuela; Senior Military Official Urges Soldiers to Join Maduro Opponents

A senior general of the Venezuelan Air Force has called on other military officials to join him in supporting Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader. Protests continue in Venezuela. General Francisco Yánez stated on Saturday, February 1, via social media: "I have come to tell you that I do not recognize the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro. I want to tell the armed forces that continuing this repression means killing more people by starving them and even pushing them into war with each other." He added: "The suffering that this nation has endured is enough. I want to tell my military colleagues and comrades not to turn their backs on the people of Venezuela." General Yánez is the first high-ranking military official in Venezuela to support Juan Guaidó, and this support has led to negative reactions from some of his colleagues, including the Air Force and the Army's Aviation Academy, which have called him a "traitor" in tweets. Mr. Yánez told the Associated Press that he will not make further statements unless "the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Juan Guaidó," gives him permission. Juan Guaidó, the President of the National Assembly or Parliament of Venezuela, declared himself the interim President of Venezuela in a rally of tens of thousands of Maduro opponents and promised new elections. Guaidó's presidency has been recognized by the European Parliament and countries such as the United States, Canada, and Brazil. In contrast, Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey have supported Nicolás Maduro. On Saturday, Guaidó again urged the Venezuelan military to join the ranks of the opposition. Speaking to thousands of protesters, he emphasized that this movement will continue until Maduro relinquishes the presidency that he has "usurped" and agrees to presidential elections under international supervision. He then addressed the military: "Take the side of the people of Venezuela. We do not ask you to just refrain from shooting at the protesters. We want you to play a role in rebuilding Venezuela." Nicolás Maduro declared victory in last year's elections, from which major opposition candidates were barred and which the opposition boycotted. Therefore, the opposition insists that those elections were not free and that Maduro lacks popular legitimacy. The country is also experiencing widespread poverty and misery, leading to the exodus of about three million people from their homeland.