Venezuelan authorities have blockaded a second bridge to Colombia amid fresh skirmishes between protesters and security forces loyal to embattled leader Nicolás Maduro.

The move came as opposition leader Juan Guaidó travelled to Brazil to shore up international pressure on Maduro following an inconclusive meeting of regional leaders in Colombia earlier this week.

Early on Wednesday, two shipping containers were positioned across the Simón Bolívar bridge, a major pedestrian crossing between the two countries, following days of sporadic violence.

The bridge was the focus of a failed weekend attempt to bring US food aid into the country as part of opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s campaign campaign to force Maduro from power.

Dozens were injured on Saturday as anti-government protestors clashed with Venezuela’s national guard and pro-Maduro gangs at the bridge and another crossing near near the Colombian city Cúcuta. In circumstances that remain unclear, at least two trucks carrying the aid caught fire during the violence.

Footage broadcast on Colombian television on Wednesday showed a burned-out truck bed in front of the shipping containers, which had been positioned overnight across the Simón Bolívar bridge.

Last month, Venezuelan authorities barricaded the nearby Tienditas bridge with two containers and an oil truck. That bridge was finished in 2016 but never inaugurated.

The Colombian border has been closed to most vehicles since 2015 following a string of disputes between the two countries, and on Saturday Maduro closed all Venezuela’s borders.

Colombia closed four crossings from its side on Saturday evening, reopening them on Monday afternoon.

Saturday’s aid effort was intended to weaken Maduro by triggering a flood of military defections. That did not happen, but Colombian migration authorities reported that around 250 military officials have crossed the border, joining a steady stream of Venezuelan refugees leaving the country via unpoliced routes.

After Saturday’s violence, Guaidó – who has been recognized as Venezuela’s rightful president by the US and fifty other countries – travelled to Bogotá and met with the US vice-president Mike Pence and Latin American leaders.

Guaidó, who was officially barred from travel, was set to arrive in Brazil late on Wednesday for a meeting with the far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, an outspoken opponent of Maduro.

Maduro’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, will travel to Moscow for talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday. Russia has been among Maduro’s staunchest allies during the crisis.

Meanwhile, unrest continued near Venezuela’s eastern border with Brazil after violence that left at least three people dead and dozens injured over the weekend.

On Tuesday morning, soldiers took control of an airport in the town of Santa Elena de Uairén, which was the focus of clashes between Venezuelan soldiers and indigenous protesters.

Witnesses say they were attempting to travel to Maurak, where members of the Pémon indigenous community had captured 30 soldiers on Saturday. </s> Clashes erupted between protesters and members of the Venezuelan National Guard at the Colombia-Venezuela border on February 24, local media said. The Venezuelan government had ordered the closure of the border to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid, El Nuevo Herald reported. At least two people were killed and dozens wounded in border clashes on February 23, Colombian media reported. Footage here was captured by local reporter Gabriela Gonzalez and shows protesters on a bridge at the border between the towns of Ureña, Venezuela, and Cúcuta, Colombia, on February 24. Debris and a damaged vehicle are seen. Credit: Gabriela Gonzalez via Storyful </s> The United States on Wednesday announced nearly $9 million in aid to help those fleeing the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, days after Venezuela's president said the United States was home to financiers of what he has called an attempt on his life.

The United States' ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, made the announcement during a visit to Colombia's border with Venezuela, which Venezuelans have for months crossed in search of food, work and health care.

The funding will help Colombia address the influx of Venezuelans pouring across the border, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. The U.S. has pledged more than $46 million in humanitarian aid in response to the crisis, USAID said.

Colombia said last month that over 870,000 Venezuelans were living in Colombia, and many of the several hundred thousand more who have Colombian origins are believed to be moving there, according to the Associated Press.

Haley on Wednesday visited Cúcuta, Colombia, a major crossing point for fleeing Venezuelans. On Tuesday, she attended the inauguration of Colombian President Ivan Duque.

The announcement came days after what Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called an attempted assassination while he was speaking in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Maduro has said that opposition leaders were connected to Saturday's alleged attack, which involved exploding drones, and he has said some suspects reside in the Untied States and Colombia.

"I want to explain to the government of the United States and the government of Colombia in detail all the evidence that leads us to accomplices and direct responsible living in the state of Florida," Maduro said, according to the Associated Press. "I trust in the good faith of Donald Trump."

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday denied that the U.S. was involved in the incident. </s> The political crisis in Venezuela skyrocketed on Saturday as a series of swift developments saw the situation turn ugly on the ground. A 26-year-old person has reportedly died and several others have been injured in clashes between armed forces and civilians at the Venezuela-Columbia, local media reports. Venezuela has been subjected to weeks of wrangling between socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro and challenger, Juan Guaido, over who is the country's president. Mr Guaido declared himself interim president in January and has since received the backing of the United States and numerous European nations - but Mr Maduro is refusing to budge.

The South American nation is in crisis following years of hyperinflation. Mass food and medicines shortages have already led three million people to flee abroad. In the latest developments, Mr Guaido promised his supporters humanitarian aid would be delivered on Saturday, which Mr Maduro said would be refused. What is the latest news in Venezuela? The situation has deteriorated rapidly in the last few hours as Venezuelan troops fired tear gas at protestors trying to cross into Columbia. The border was closed by Mr Maduro to stop US humanitarian aid trucks coming in.

Local television reports showed a truck from Colombia going up in flames sending large smoke plumes skywards, as reported by Reuters. The footage followed an earlier security video showing Venezuelan military using tear gas against volunteers unloading aid on the Francisco de Paula bridge near the border. The video was sent by a Colombian government source near the town of Urena who said rubber bullets had also been fired. The Venezuelan military has remained loyal to Mr Maduo but had not deployed violence against people at crowd gatherings until now.

Many of the civilians said they had just been waiting for food and medicines to finally reach them when the situation turned nasty. Sobeida Monsalve, 42, said: “I’m a homemaker, and I'm here fighting for my family, for my children and parents, resisting the military's tear gas and soldiers on motorbikes.” Saturday’s escalating crisis also saw Mr Maduro formally cut ties with Colombia as he expelled diplomatic staff from the Colombian embassy. Mr Maduro said: “Patience is exhausted. I can't bear it anymore, we can't keep putting up with Colombian territory being used for attacks against Venezuela.

"For that reason, I have decided to break all political and diplomatic relations with Colombia's fascist government." Earlier on in the day in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta, Juan Guaidó called for the Venezuelan military to abandon their support of Mr Maduro. He said: "I've made a clear call to the armed forces. "Welcome to the right side of history. Welcome to those soldiers that today have moved to the right side of the constitution. Welcome. "There is a clear sign today that the amnesty and guarantees are there for all those soldiers who are willing to take in and help the Venezuelan people and, above all, to respect our constitution." </s> This story was originally published in Spanish by Rolling Stone Colombia‘s editors. Read the original Spanish version here.

Update 2/23/18: The moment of music had long passed, and now it was nearing 7 a.m. on Saturday and the Colombian authorities were preparing to pass humanitarian aid to Venezuela. The night before, however, Delcy Rodríguez, vice president of Venezuela, announwced the closure of the Simón Bolívar, Unión and Santander bridges for “the serious and illegal threats attempted by the Government of Colombia against La Paz.”

By 8 a.m., members of the Bolivarian National Guard had already deserted, but Venezuelan soldiers, who prevented their passage to their country, guarded the same border. In Ureña, one of the municipalities closest to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, there were protests and clashes between citizens — who demanded the passage of humanitarian aid — and the military that was preventing it.

Colombia’s president, Iván Duque, handed aid over to Juan Guaidó, Venezuela’s opposition leader, at a press conference, and Guaidó said: “We ask the Venezuelan military to stand on the right side and receive their brothers who are taking help to serve the people of Venezuela.” The tractors that loaded all the supplies arrived at the Simón Bolívar bridge, where hundreds of volunteers were preparing to pass humanitarian aid through a human chain.

During a demonstration in Caracas, Nicolás Maduro announced that he was breaking political and diplomatic relations with Colombia, giving all diplomatic personnel 24 hours to leave Venezuela. As the hours wore on, there were reports that at least 23 members of the Venezuelan military and police defected at the borders. Convoys of trucks carrying food aid and medical supplies set off for Venezuela from border towns in Colombia and Brazil. Volunteers, protestors and opposition leaders were met with teargas and rubber bullets, and at least three aid trucks near the Colombian border were burned.

CÚCUTA, COLOMBIA 2/22/18 — Friday’s Venezuela Aid Live, according to its website (where people can still donate), sought to bring humanitarian aid that’s in Colombia across the border to reach the most-affected Venezuelans, raise awareness of the situation in Venezuela and raise funds for a social development plan with which expatriates could return to their country.

Reymar Perdomo opened the concert with “Me Fui,” a song that has become a hymn for Venezuelan expatriates with a video that went viral in Latin America. Perdomo is Venezuelan and has been living in Lima, Peru, playing and singing in buses.

After the performance, Richard Branson, founder of Virgin and organizer of the festival, gave a speech in which he thanked the attendees for being in Cúcuta to celebrate the lives of all Venezuelans. “If we can take people into space, why is it so difficult to get people out of poverty?” he said. People chanted: “Richard, Richard, Richard!” To speed up the change of artists on the stage, there was a revolving platform: As the musicians were playing on one side, the instruments of the next were mounted.

Jose Luis Rodriguez, “El Puma,” came out and started with a very clear message. “Thanks to dear Colombia and the United States,” he said, adding, “Enough of left-wing dictatorships in Latin America!” Already the political game was installed from the beginning. He sang “Agárrense las manos/Hold Your Hands” with an instrumental track and no band.

Reinaldo Armas, Cholo Valderrama and Jorge Glem arrived to dance at the tip of llanera music. Then came Jencarlos Canela with his success “Bajito,” while improvising phrases that invited people to donate, and Danny Ocean, wearing a T-shirt that depicted Mandela eating arepa, started dancing with “Dembow” and “Me rehúso/I refuse.”

Later in the afternoon, the most anticipated names came out. Paulina Rubio brought her pop and Diego Torres sang, as would be expected, “Color Esperanza/Color of Hope.” Silvestre Dangond started the party again and Maluma, accompanied only on guitar, followed in the midst of shouts from fans.

Miguel Bosé, who was at the border 11 years ago for the Concert for Peace that Juanes organized, filled the Tienditas Bridge with emotion and tears. Then, Carlos Baute landed with “Te regalo” and, obviously, “Yo me quedo en Venezuela (I Stay in Venezuela).” Luis Fonsi finished with “Despacito” and then Juan Luis Guerra showed all his experience with “I hope it rains coffee.” Fonseca sang “Te Mando Flores/I Sent You Flowers” and gave way to Carlos Vives.

While there was a party on one side — with attendees singing on the border between Venezuela and Brazil at the Tienditas Bridge — in the state of Bolívar, two indigenous people died at the hands of the Bolivarian National Guard, according to the NGO Kapé Kapé. According Semana magazine, they were trying to keep a road open to allow the entry of humanitarian aid when special forces broke in. In addition to the two deceased, there were also 15 injured.

After 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the Venezuelan concert finally began. Composed mainly of Venezuelan artists related to the government of Maduro — such as Paul Gillman, who sang “Resistiré,” while waving the flag of his country, and Skaracas — it was also known that Grupo Niche refused to play in the “Hands Off Venezuela” concert.

Looking primarily at the music presentations, Venezuela Aid Live left much to be desired due to technical problems, instrument issues, the many instrumental tracks used and the crowd area being far from the stage. Sure, people enjoyed it, and the real goal was beyond the shows. If Branson wanted to put the eyes of the world on the border, he succeeded.

The news agencies were reporting live from Cúcuta, with journalists from all over Latin America in attendance, along with the United States, Canada, Portugal and Spain and other countries. The speeches by several of the artists against Maduro sent a clear message that would surely annoy Roger Waters. Tomorrow it will be seen if humanitarian aid finally crosses the border. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption Venezuelan soldiers send people back as they try to cross the border from Brazil

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has closed the border with Brazil amid a row over humanitarian aid.

The embattled leader said he could also shut the key border with Colombia to stop the opposition bringing in relief.

Venezuela's inflation rate has seen prices soar, leaving many Venezuelans struggling to afford basic items such as food, toiletries and medicine.

President Maduro denies any crisis and calls the aid delivery plans a US-orchestrated show.

His ally Russia has accused the US of trying to arm Venezuela's opposition.

Rival concerts will be held on both sides of a bridge linking Venezuela and Colombia later on Friday.

On the Colombian side, an event will be held to raise money for Venezuela. At the same time, Mr Maduro's government will hold its own concert, just 300m (980ft) away.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó and his allies hope to collect food and medicine being gathered in neighbouring Brazil and Colombia on Saturday, in defiance of President Maduro.

Head of the National Assembly, Mr Guaidó declared himself interim leader during anti-government protests last month and is recognised by dozens of countries, including the US and most Latin American nations.

Brazil border: Aid showdown

The border crossing with Brazil remained closed on Friday morning but local G1 website reported that a group of Venezuelans managed to cross from the Brazilian city of Pacaraima on foot using an unofficial route.

Mr Maduro announced on Thursday that the border would be closed "completely and absolutely" until further notice and said he had been considering a "total closure" of the border with Colombia.

Brazil had earlier said that, in co-ordination with the US, food and medicine would be available to be collected by "the government of acting President Juan Guaidó in Venezuelan trucks driven by Venezuelans".

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Colombia border: Battle of the bands

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has organised a concert near the Tienditas Bridge crossing at Cúcuta hoping to raise about $100m (£77m) to buy food and medicine for Venezuelans.

Venezuela Aid Live, he said, has been organised at the request of Mr Guaidó and another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who is under house arrest. About 250,000 people are expected to attend.

The Venezuelan government has erected a stage on its side of the crossing for its Hands Off Venezuela event.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Branson concert is on the Colombian side of Tienditas Bridge...

Image copyright AFP Image caption ... and a Venezuelan government stage has gone up not far away

More than three million Venezuelans have fled in recent years as the country grapples with hyperinflation and shortages of essential goods, the UN says.

Despite denying there is any humanitarian crisis, Mr Maduro announced this week that 300 tonnes of aid would be shipped from its ally Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attempt to deliver aid could spark violence and be used as a pretext by the US to remove Mr Maduro.

Citing unspecified information, she also accused the US and its Nato allies of discussing how to arm the Venezuelan opposition and claimed US special forces and equipment were being deployed near the country.

Genuine help or Trojan horse?

By Katy Watson, BBC South America correspondent in Caracas

There is no doubt this has become a political issue. Juan Guaidó and his supporters want to spread the word about how important the foreign humanitarian aid is. President Maduro accuses it of being a Trojan horse.

There is a feeling of optimism among many Venezuelans at the moment - an energy that has not existed in the country for a long time. And the hope that Saturday may be the start of a new path.

But if the stand-off drags on, the fear is that this positive energy that has revived Mr Maduro's critics will wane, as will the interest of the international community, and that's what Mr Guaidó needs to achieve regime change.

People want to know about a plan B - if indeed Mr Guaidó has thought of one. Otherwise, the hope here will soon turn to despair.

Guaidó heads to Cúcuta

Mr Guaidó is leading a convoy that left the capital, Caracas, on Thursday, to Cúcuta, some 800km (500 miles) away.

He has said 600,000 volunteers have already signed up to help carry aid into Venezuela while the Venezuelan government said it would deliver 20,600 of its own food boxes to the Colombian border area.

Venezuela's military has so far resisted calls to abandon Mr Maduro, in power since 2013.

However, former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal called on the military to break with the president and to allow aid in. In a video posted online, the congressman recognised Mr Guaidó as "president in charge" and issued a stinging rebuke to Mr Maduro.

"You've killed hundreds of young people in the streets for trying to claim the rights you stole - this without even counting the dead for lack of medicines and security."

Mr Guaidó's aides in Washington said 11 Venezuelan diplomats based in the US had defected and declared their support for him. </s> As Venezuelans flee their country in search of safety and economic security, another set of dangers awaits them across the border.

In Colombia’s northeast, where many Venezuelans have ended up, rival armed groups control illegal border crossings and wreak havoc on civilians with killings, intimidation, sexual violence and recruit children as soldiers, according to a new report by NGO Human Rights Watch.

The report focuses on the impoverished Catatumbo region, where armed groups — including the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Popular Liberation Army (EPL), and former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) — wage bloody battles for control not only between each other but also on Colombian soldiers. The area is an important one for coca cultivation, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

More than 100 civilians were killed there by the battling groups in 2018, according to the HRW report, which cites United Nations figures. Some Colombian and Venezuelan children have been coerced into either joining groups or enforcing their rules.

The report claims that in March, ELN fighters “visited a rural school in Catatumbo to try to convince children to join their ranks.” Some children have been threatened for allegedly cooperating with rival groups, according to HRW.

One mother told HRW that local fighters offered her son guns and a motorcycle to work for them, and later warned the family to avoid interacting with government soldiers.

As local authorities struggle to keep up with a rising number of homicides in the area, armed fighters are policing territories and local populations.

Tens of thousands of people have left the region since 2017, according to Colombian government figures cited in the report. Yet Venezuelans continue to flood in from across the border. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that internally displaced Colombians in the area “can be seen begging for food alongside” Venezuelan migrants and refugees.

Colombia has welcomed vast numbers of refugees from Venezuela since its economic downturn began accelerating. On Monday, Colombian President Iván Duque announced in a series of tweets that the country would grant citizenship to more than 24,000 children born to undocumented Venezuelan parents — any child born since August 19, 2015.

“Colombia, once again, is showing the world that even in the midst of fiscal constraints, with a per capita income of less than $8,000 dollars,” Duque said, “we also know how to make out of fraternity, a feeling of solidarity.” However, he also called for the international community to end Venezuela’s crisis, which has created an estimated exodus of four million people.

Colombia’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Relations did not respond to a request for comment. </s> Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said on Monday that his country will grant citizenship to some 24,000 children who were born from Venezuelan migrant mothers.

The measure will be retroactive and allow babies and toddlers born in the country since 2015 to be granted citizenship, a possibility that didn’t exist before.

Because Colombia does not automatically grant citizenship to babies born on its soil and Venezuela’s embassy in Bogota has no authority, the mass migration of Venezuelans led to the rapidly growing problem of stateless children.

Duque said he would issue a presidential decree that would allow the nationalization of the babies and toddlers born in Colombia since the mass migration from the neighboring country began.

The issue was publicly raised in by actress Anngelina Jolie during a visit of the ambassador of the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR in June.

Angelina Jolie stresses need to grant citizenship children of Venezuelan refugees born in Colombia

“The Colombian government has been firm in its commitment to rise to the height of ethical responsibility and offer help to the Venezuelans who feel forced to leave their country,” Felipe Muñoz, who manages the Venezuelan migrant crisis for Colombia’s migration authority, told the Washington Post.

“Let’s remember that decades ago it was they who received us Colombians in their country, when the situation was inverse and it was us fleeing difficult local conditions,” Muños added in reference to the mass migration of Colombians to Venezuela during the country’s armed conflict.

According to the UNHCR, some 4 million Venezuelans have fled their country that is suffering a major humanitarian and institutional crisis. Approximately 1.5 million of these refugees settled in Colombia.

The country has tremendous difficulty dealing with the mass migration as it has yet to deal with many of the 8 million people who were internally displaced by the armed conflict. </s> Spanish news agency EFE said Wednesday that three of its reporters in Caracas, two of whom Colombian, were taken from the office by Venezuela’s intelligence agency.

According to the news agency, Colombian photojournalist Leonardo Muñoz disappeared on Wednesday morning and is allegedly detained by the country’s Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM).

The journalist and his Venezuelan driver were on their way to cover protest demanding the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro when they lost contact with the newsroom.

In the evening, agents of the Venezuelan intelligence agency SEBIN raided EFE’s office in Caracas and arrested Colombian reporter Mauren Barriga and her Spanish colleague Gonzalo Dominguez, said the news agency.

Following their arrest, the journalists reportedly were first taken to their hotel to pick up their belongings and then taken in for interrogation.

EFE’s bureau chief in Caracas, Nelida Fernandez, and the journalists’ attorney followed their colleagues in an attempt to seek clarification about why they were taken and demand their liberation.

The three journalists traveled from Colombia to Venezuela earlier this month to cover the ongoing crisis in the neighboring country.

Venezuela’s journalist syndicate SNTP announced on Thursday that the EFE journalists will be deported to their native countries.

According to Reporters Without Borders, four more foreign reporters, two from Chile and two from France, are also being held by Venezuelan authorities. They were allegedly arrested on Tuesday.

Venezuela arrests two Colombian and five other foreign correspondents was last modified: by
Colombian authorities deport Venezuelan refugees in the border town of Cúcuta; in response, the Venezuelan government restricts movement of Colombians into the country.