Tens of thousands of protesters had taken to the streets to demand that Maduro allow aid into Venezuela, where food and medicine shortages are rife. Most Western countries, including the United States, have recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, but Maduro retains the backing of Russia and China as well as control of state institutions including the military. An aid convoy supplied by the United States and Colombia arrived in the Colombian border town of Cucuta last week, where it is being held in warehouses.
