U.S. piles more sanctions on Venezuela

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Bogotá, Colombia, on Monday announced more sanctions against Venezuelan officials and more aid for the country’s people. The sanctions target four individuals: one close associate of embattled President Nicolás Maduro and three governors who support the Maduro regime. “These people worked to block aid for people in need and suppress peaceful protests while their tyrant danced in Caracas,” Pence told the Lima Group, comprised of concerned allies in the Western Hemisphere, at a meeting in Colombia’s capital. Violence broke out Saturday between protesters and Venezuelan soldiers blocking aid shipments at the Colombian border.

Pence urged regional partners to freeze oil assets controlled by Maduro, transfer the proceeds to interim President Juan Guaidó, and restrict visas for Maduro’s inner circle. Pence called Maduro “a usurper with no legitimate claim to power,” adding that he “must go.”

Hours after Pence’s speech, Maduro’s government issued a statement rejecting his announcements and accusing the United States of attempting “to give orders so that other countries join the vulgar plundering” of Venezuela’s assets. The United States will continue to search for places to pre-position aid for eventual delivery to Venezuela, Pence said. He also announced $56 million in new assistance to nations taking in more than 3 million Venezuelans who have fled the country in recent years.