10 March

People have gathered in Venezuela's capital Caracas to protest the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro. They responded to calls by opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Local media reported that many protestors carrying national flags confronted police on Saturday. Guaido is the National Assembly leader. He told the crowd that the police and the military are blocking demonstrations in various parts of the country. He urged Venezuelans to continue protesting in the streets until freedom is restored.

Guaido declared himself interim president of the country in January. Maduro is cracking down on protests. He calls Guaido a fake humanitarian who is driving the nation into trouble. But Maduro has not tried to detain Guaido who has support from the United States. The US could intervene militarily if the opposition leader is harmed.

Guaido ignored the travel ban issued by Venezuela's Supreme Court. He returned on Monday after visiting Brazil and other Latin American countries to secure support. Guaido is calling on government workers to go on strike and demanding Maduro accept humanitarian aid from the US and other countries.—NHK