The events that took place on February 23 in Cúcuta, Colombia, showed the face of the Mafia State that supports Nicholas Maduro in the usurpation of the Presidency of Venezuela. Paramilitary and Colombian insurgent groups, who confronted the defenseless civilian population that tried to deliver supplies, rejected the humanitarian aid promised by the president in charge Juan Guaidó. To such an extent, that they burned two trucks with medical and food supplies.

This way of acting of the Mafia State has been the typical behavior of Maduro against all pacific struggles of the opposition in 2014 and 2017. The public protests -a human right- were oppressed by the Maduro apparatus of repression and the paramilitary groups known as "Colectivos".

Therefore, last weekend's events in Cúcuta diminish the "non-violent" political options for the cessation of Nicholas Maduro's usurpation, leaving the military solution as the most likely mechanism to resolve the governance crisis in Venezuela.

A way out would be a coup d'état by the group that holds Maduro in power. The Minister of Defense would ask the usurper to leave the country to establish a transitional government and free, fair and democratic elections. This solution depends on the threat of continuing to support Maduro. The dilemma is between the security offered to the military leadership by the Mafia State or the Amnesty Decree of Guaidó. So far, the first is providing more confidence to the High Military Command.

The other solution is a multinational military operation. A military force, such as the white helmets from Argentina or blue helmets from the United Nations, that includes the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Canada, and Brazil to accompany the humanitarian aid requested by the president in charge, Juan Guaidó. This proposal depends on the intention of the countries, that recognize Guaidó as president in charge, of accompanying the request to "keep all the cards on the table". The debate would be to defend democracy in the region or leave the fight to end the mafia state to the "free will" of Venezuelans.

Statements such as: "We are not supporting the use of force in Venezuela" of the Lima Group; "Avoid military intervention in Venezuela and its commitment to a peaceful, political and democratic solution to the crisis" of the European Union; "Responsibility to protect includes diplomatic measures, sanctions and, in absolutely exceptional circumstances, military measures. The international community has a responsibility to implement diplomatic, sanctioning, but not military, measures in Venezuela, "which José Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch tweeted; they reinforce the democratic solution - the thesis of free will - to the actual crisis of governability in the Bolivarian country.

The opposition has widely used this method (no violence) for the past five years, obtaining the same results as last Saturday, February 23: dead, injured, and few tangible and significant results.

Russia and Cuba have determined that the vast majority of the region would not support the military accompaniment of humanitarian aid. So, an intervention by the United States would be difficult. Something similar happened in Syria when Vladimir Putin decided to hold Bashar al-Assad by "blood and fire" as president.

In the Venezuelan case, it is the countries that have recognized Juan Guaidó as interim President which reject his request for the use of an international force to guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid. Otherwise this would allow Guaidó to show international support for his solution to the Venezuelan crisis.

The Mafia State knows that Maduro will not abandon the Presidency of Venezuela with the democratic struggle alone.

US sanctions against individuals have not been a factor in changing the loyalty of the leadership to the usurper. And the rest of the countries that recognize Guaidó are not a real threat to the stability of the people who support Maduro because they do not sanction the cupola or its close circle. After the events of February 23, the proposal of the European Union and the Lima Group, "a peaceful, political and democratic solution", has very low impact for the end of the usurpation.

The mafia state of Maduro has strategic alliances with both drug trafficking and international terrorism. So, resolving the governance crisis requires not only the political but also the military option.

If the countries that recognize Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela maintain a unidirectional path, the usurpation of the presidency will continue since the Lima Group and the European Union sin by omission. Similar to what happened in Rwanda (1994) with the international community.



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