Nicolás Maduro assured this Saturday that his Colombian counterpart, Iván Duque, ordered “a right-wing extremist group“, which he did not specify, “deepen terrorist attacks and sabotage of social life and services” in the Caribbean country.
“Recently, they held a meeting of extremists in Bogotá and received the order from Iván Duque to deepen the terrorist attacks before he leaves the presidency on August 7. As well as the sabotage of social life and public services in Venezuela,” Maduro said. This through telephone contact in a meeting with the Somos Venezuela movementtransmitted by the state VTV.
Without specifying who he was referring to, he pointed out that “they all went to meet to see what they can do before Duke leaves (…) to sabotage social life.”
“You have to take care of the electrical system, it is in the central objective of sabotage. Attention to the security forces. Attention to popular power. Attention to the working class. To take care, to take care of the electrical service. The water service, to take care of it », he expressed.
He ordered that “no one” sabotage “the process of recovery and economic growth” that -he maintained- Venezuela is “experienced”.
«Let no one dare to continue with their little wars once morest the currency, once morest trade. We are making good progress in the economic recovery and it will continue to do so », he added.
Maduro assured that Duque is behind terrorist attacks in Venezuela
Last February, Maduro accused Duque of having financed Carlos Luis Revette, known by the alias Koki. He was considered one of the most wanted criminals, until he was killed in a police operation that month.
“El Koki and all these people who did so much damage to the people of Caracas were trained, financed and directed by the paramilitary Government of Iván Duque. It’s that simple,” Maduro said in a government act broadcast on VTV.
Duque recognizes former deputy Juan Guaidó as the “legitimate president” of Venezuela, who proclaimed himself as such in January 2019. At that time he was president of the National Assembly (AN, Parliament).
Maduro, for his part, broke off diplomatic relations on February 23, 2019 as a result of the support of the Duque government for Guaidó’s attempt to cross the common border from Colombia at the head of a caravan with humanitarian aid.