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'Humanitarian Avalanche': Guaido Announces Venezuela Aid Hub Creation in Miami

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader who has proclaimed himself the country’s interim president, announced the establishment of a new center for the collection of humanitarian aid for Venezuela in the US city of Miami.
Sputnik

"More efforts for humanitarian aid. We are announcing the establishment of an aid collection center in Miami to allow Venezuelans of the world to engage and join this movement for Venezuela. We will continue our active preparations for February 23 — a humanitarian avalanche", Guaido wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Earlier in February, Guaido announced that humanitarian aid will arrive in the crisis-torn country on 23 February, despite the reluctance of  incumbent President Nicolas Maduro to allow the aid in. In particular, Maduro’s government has cited concerns that foreign humanitarian aid might justify foreign intervention, blocking the deliveries at the border.

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Humanitarian cargo has been reportedly brought over the recent weeks to hubs in Brazil and Colombia, while one more collection center is planned to be set up on one of the islands in the Caribbean.

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Earlier in the day, the State Department announced that US officials would be aboard a military aircraft that the United States is sending to the Venezuelan border on Saturday to deliver aid to the crisis-torn country. The International Center of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Columbia earlier this week said it would not help distribute the goods because it does not consider the US assistance to be true humanitarian aid.

The United States and several allies, who have backed self-proclaimed interim president Guaido, have been urging President Nicolas Maduro to step down and calling for new elections in Venezuela. Constitutionally elected Maduro, backed by Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, Mexico and other countries, has accused Washington of orchestrating a coup and said the humanitarian aid is part of the ploy to topple his government.

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Notably, US President Donald Trump will travel to Miami on Monday, where he will give a speech on the crisis in Venezuela, expressing his support for opposition leader Guaido, the Miami Herald reporetd Wednesday.

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