[News] Venezuela: Electricity Recovery Continues as US Withdraws Diplomatic Staff

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14377


  Venezuela: Electricity Recovery Continues as US Withdraws Diplomatic Staff

By Ricardo Vaz - March 12, 2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caracas, March 12, 2019 (venezuelanalysis.com 
<http://venezuelanalysis.com/>) – Venezuelan authorities continue 
working to bring back online the electric grid following a massive 
outage <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14374> that started on 
Thursday, March 7.

According to on-the-ground testimonies and official sources, power 
finally began to reach Venezuela’s western states, including Merida and 
Zulia, on Monday night, around 96 hours after the blackout started. 
Electricity has now been restored at least in some areas of every state, 
with authorities urging citizens to avoid using heavy usage devices 
while efforts to restore the whole grid continue.

President Nicolas Maduro gave a televised address on Tuesday evening, 
offering more details about the alleged attack 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14374> against the country’s 
electrical infrastructure. According to Maduro, both the computerized 
system in the Guri Dam, on Thursday afternoon, and the central 
electrical “brain” in Caracas, on Saturday morning, suffered cyber 
attacks, while recovery was delayed by physical attacks against 
transmission lines and electrical substations.

“The recovery has been a miracle by CORPOELEC (electricity) workers” he 
said, vowing that a “battle” had been won.

Maduro claimed that the attacks were directed from Chicago and Houston 
and that more evidence would be presented soon. The Venezuelan president 
had announced on Monday that two arrests were made in connection to 
alleged acts of sabotage against the communications system in the Guri Dam.

Venezuela’s electrical grid 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14143> has suffered from poor 
maintenance and sabotage <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13661> in 
recent years, with infrastructure strained by under-investment and 
Washington’s economic sanctions 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14360> further compounding 
difficulties.

The extended power outage saw episodes of lootings take place, 
especially in the Zulia capital of Maracaibo. Food warehouses, 
supermarkets and a shopping mall were targeted according to reports and 
footage on social media.

Isolated episodes of protests and lootings were also reported in other 
cities, including some sectors of Caracas. A video spread on social 
media appeared to show a violent confrontation in the eastern city of 
Maturin in which a National Guardsman was shot dead.

While electricity has been gradually restored, public transportation and 
other services have yet to be reactivated, with the government 
suspending work and school activities until Wednesday.

In Caracas, attention has now turned to water. Shortages started to be 
felt after the water pumping system in the nearby Tuy valley was shut 
down amid the electricity blackout. Authorities announced on Tuesday 
afternoon that the system was due to resume supplying water to the 
capital metropolitan region.

Some communities protested the lack of water on Monday and long queues 
formed at water distribution points, with local authorities looking to 
send water tanks to supply communities and guarantee the normal 
functioning of hospitals.

The Venezuelan government has yet to release any information concerning 
casualties in hospitals, with NGO Doctors for Health reporting 24 dead 
as of Monday night following alleged contact with multiple hospitals. 
Higher figures, including claims of 80 newborns dead in Maracaibo, have 
been denied <https://twitter.com/WSJForero/status/1104915409206239232> 
by local sources.

Self-proclaimed “Interim President” Juan Guaido has blamed the 
electricity crisis on government mismanagement and corruption, 
dismissing the government’s cyber attack thesis on the grounds that the 
system is analog, and attributing the national outage to a lack of 
qualified personnel needed to reactivate the grid. However, these claims 
have been called into question 
<http://www.15yultimo.com/2019/03/11/apagon-en-venezuela-superiguanas-o-cyber-ataque/> 
by people with knowledge 
<https://www.laiguana.tv/articulos/446567-ingeniero-oposicion-desmentir-guaido-guri-apagon/> 
of the system.

Guaido called for street protests on Tuesday afternoon which saw small 
groups momentarily take to streets in Caracas and other cities, or 
banging pots and pans from windows.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly, which has been in contempt 
of court since 2016, approved a decree on Monday declaring a state of 
“national alarm,” blaming the government for the current crisis and 
issuing instructions for public officials and security forces.

Likewise on Tuesday, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab 
announced that an investigation was being opened against Guaido 
regarding his alleged responsibility for the recent power outage. Saab 
explained that this investigation would add to the previous one 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14276>, opened on January 29, as well 
as determine responsibilities in instigating violence.


      US withdraws embassy staff

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reported on Monday that the remaining 
embassy staff in Caracas were being withdrawn.

“[…] The presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a 
constraint on U.S. policy,” Pompeowrote 
<https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1105314978393923586> on Twitter.

President Maduro had ordered a break of diplomatic relations with 
Washington in response to the Trump administration’s recognition of 
Guaido’s self-swearing in on January 23, with embassy personnel given 72 
hours to leave the country. Pompeo initially refused to withdraw US 
personnel on the grounds that Maduro did not have the authority to 
request their departure but ultimately backtracked and ordered the 
majority of staffers to leave. The US and Venezuelan governments 
subsequently agreed <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14268> to 
downgrade their respective embassies to “interests sections” within 30 days.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry released a communique stating that a 15 
day extension had been granted after the original 30 days expired, but 
that the Venezuelan government had decided to terminate talks for the 
establishment of interest sections and granted 72 hours for embassy 
personnel to leave.

The communique further stated that the presence of US diplomatic staff 
was a “threat to peace” given “threats of military action under the 
pretext of protecting diplomatic staff.”

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza went on to criticize US officials for 
presenting the withdrawal as their decision, while reaffirming the 
Venezuelan government’s willingness 
<https://twitter.com/jaarreaza/status/1105454385621016576> to maintain 
channels of communication with Washington so long as the relation is 
based on “mutual respect.”

Secretary Pompeo likewise announced sanctions against Russian bank 
Evrofinance Mosnarbank for allegedly helping Venezuelan state oil 
company PDVSA evade US sanctions. Pompeo also met with Indian Foreign 
Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Monday to pressure New Delhi to stop buying 
crude from Venezuela.

A de facto oil embargo imposed in late January has seen Caracas scramble 
to find new partners in Asia, with India the main cash buyer. Oil 
Minister Quevedo stated that the goal was to double oil sales to India, 
with the possibility of bartering 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-oil-venezuela/venezuelas-pdvsa-seeks-to-barter-its-oil-with-india-idUSKCN1Q00XY> 
oil for medicines as a way to avoid US financial sanctions.

For his part, National Security Advisor John Bolton has threatened 
financial institutions with sanctions for engaging in intermediating 
transactions involving the Venezuelan government.

“Bankers […] The United States is watching. The world is watching. The 
Venezuelan people are watching,” he tweeted 
<https://twitter.com/AmbJohnBolton/status/1105145364334735360> on Monday.

Likewise, the Trump administration’s Special Envoy to Venezuela, Elliott 
Abrams, told press on Tuesday that “significant sanctions” against 
Caracas and international financial institutions can be expected in the 
coming days. Abrams, who was appointed in late January, is known for his 
leading role in the Reagan administration’s notorious Central America 
policy, including the Iran-Contra scandal, and for advising George W. 
Bush in the lead up to the 2003 war in Iraq.

-- 
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