The United States has said it will withdraw all remaining diplomatic staff from Venezuela as Nicolás Maduro accused Donald Trump of masterminding a “demonic” plot to force him from power by crippling the country’s electricity system with an imperialist “electromagnetic attack”. The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, announced the decision to vacate the US embassy in the crisis-stricken country’s capital, Caracas, late on Monday. “This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in #Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of US diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on US policy,” Pompeo tweeted. Maduro’s political foes and many specialists believe the calamitous nationwide blackout that struck last Thursday – and has yet to be resolved – is the result of years of mismanagement, corruption and incompetence. “We are in the middle of a catastrophe that is not the result of a hurricane, that is not the result of a tsunami,” Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader battling to topple Maduro, told CNN on Sunday. “It’s the product of the inefficiency, the incapability, the corruption of a regime that doesn’t care about the lives of Venezuelans.” But in a televised nationwide address on Monday night Maduro pointed the finger of blame at the White House in what critics condemned as a cynical attempt to deflect criticism of his regime’s responsibility. “The United States’ imperialist government ordered this attack,” Maduro claimed in his 35-minute speech, only his second significant intervention since the crisis began last week. “They came with a strategy of war of the kind that only these criminals – who have been to war and have destroyed the people of Iraq, of Libya, of Afghanistan and of Syria – think up.” Maduro alleged the US had conducted the attack – in league with “puppets and clowns” from the Venezuelan opposition – in order to create “a state of despair, of widespread want and of conflict” that would justify a foreign intervention and Venezuela’s military occupation. But Maduro, who inherited Hugo Chávez’s Bolivarian revolution after his 2013 death, vowed that the supposed attack on Venezuela’s grid would be thwarted. “Victory belongs to us,” he declared. “What you can be certain of is that sooner rather later, in the coming days, we will win this battle definitively … We will win - and we will do it for Venezuela. We will do it for our homeland. We will do it for you … we will do it because of our people’s right to happiness.” Ominously, he called on Venezuelan citizens and on pro-government paramilitary gangs known as colectivos to resist the “imperialist” onslaught. “The time has come for active resistance,” he said. Maduro has been fighting for political survival since January when Guaidó declared himself Venezuela’s legitimate leader and was swiftly recognised as interim president by dozens of western nations including the US and Britain. Maduro’s many opponents – who blame him for a devastating economic collapse that has triggered the most severe migration crisis in recent Latin American history – ridicule his claims that the outage is part of a White House conspiracy. Anna Ferrera, a student activist in Caracas, said: “They go around and around saying this was sabotage and how the US always sabotages things and the empire is going against Venezuela. But they haven’t given any [credible] explanation.” “They always make up stories to explain the flaws of the system … this is outrageous,” added Ferrera, who said she feared many might accept Maduro’s version because the black out had knocked out communication systems across the country, giving his administration a monopoly on information. Dimitris Pantoulas, a Caracas-based political analyst, said Maduro had appeared “worried, anxious and absolutely desperate” in his Monday night broadcast, suggesting the situation was dire. “It is clear, from what he said, that the government does not control the situation (nobody does) and they do not have any plan or strategy,” Pantoulas tweeted. Maduro – who gave no evidence for his claims – gave little hint that an end was in sight to a crisis that the opposition blames for at least 21 deaths and many fear could plunge the country into violence and turmoil. “They will insist in their attacks,” Maduro said, calling on Venezuelans to respond with “nerves of steel”. Speaking to CNN hours earlier, Guaidó said: “Venezuela has truly collapsed already … You can say with all responsibility that Venezuela has already collapsed.”<doc-sep>The US says it is pulling its last remaining diplomats from Venezuela, saying their continued presence at the embassy in Caracas had become a "constraint" on US policy as the Trump administration aggressively looks to oust socialist president Nicolas Maduro. The announcement from secretary of state Mike Pompeo in a tweet shortly before midnight on Monday came as Venezuela struggled to restore electricity following five days of blackouts around the country. Venezuela's government said on Tuesday that the decision followed a breakdown in negotiations and continued hostility from Washington – and effectively says "good riddance". Foreign minister Jorge Arreaza said the continued presence of the US diplomats "entails risks for the peace, integrity and stability of the country". "These are the same officials that have systematically lied to the world about Venezuela's reality and personally have directed fake, flag-waving operations to justify an intervention," he said in a statement. Maduro interview with The Associated Press Show all 9 1 /9 Maduro interview with The Associated Press Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro2.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro6.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro1.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro3.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro4.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro5.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro9.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro7.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Maduro interview with The Associated Press maduro8.jpg (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Mr Maduro's government in January cut ties with the US over its recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader. US officials rejected that on the rationale that Mr Maduro had no authority to take such a step. Caracas later retreated and allowed a skeletal staff to remain at the hilltop US embassy in the capital as the two countries attempted to negotiate an agreement to allow some sort of representation. The failure of those talks is likely to aggravate tensions between them. Mr Pompeo said the remaining diplomats would be out of Venezuela by the end of the week but gave no indication of future policy steps despite past warnings that "all options" – including the use of military force – are on the table for removing Mr Maduro. ✕ Venezuela's Maduro claims 'warmongering' Trump administration controlled by KKK The move came after another day of chaos as power outages that began on Thursday evening left Venezuelans with scant electricity, water and communications, abruptly worsening conditions in a nation already struggling with hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicine. People converged on a polluted river to fill water bottles in Caracas, and scattered protests erupted in several cities A three-year-old girl with a brain tumour languished in a Caracas hospital, awaiting treatment after doctors started surgery but then suspended the operation when the power went out, according to the girl's fearful mother, who only gave her first name, Yalimar. "The doctors told me that there are no miracles," said Yalimar, who hoped her daughter could be transferred to one of the few hospitals in Venezuela that would be able to finish the complex procedure. Schools and many businesses remained closed on Tuesday. Mr Maduro said on national television on Monday night that progress had been made in restoring power. He also said two people who were trying to sabotage power facilities were captured and were providing information to authorities, though he gave no details. He had previously blamed the outages on US "cyberattacks", though opponents said they were due to the government's failure to repair a decaying electrical grid. Associated Press<doc-sep>
Nicolas Maduro accused Donald Trump of cyber "sabotage" that plunged Venezuela into its worst blackout. Venezuela ordered American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours on Tuesday after President Nicolas Maduro accused U.S. counterpart Donald Trump of cyber "sabotage" that plunged the OPEC nation into its worst blackout on record. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said U.S. diplomats on Venezuelan soil must leave within three days, after talks broke down over maintaining diplomatic "interest sections" in the two countries. "The presence on Venezuelan soil of these officials represents a risk for the peace, unity and stability of the country," the government said in a statement. The U.S. State Department had announced on Monday it will withdraw its staff from Venezuela this week, saying their presence had become "a constraint on U.S. policy." Washington has taken the lead in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's rightful president after the 35-year-old Congress chief announced an interim presidency in January after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Most countries in Europe and Latin America have followed suit. Maduro, who retains control of the military and other state institutions as well as the backing of Russia and China, has denounced Guaido as a puppet of the United States. Julio Castro, of nongovernmental organization Doctors for Health, said on Twitter on Monday night that 24 people have died in public hospitals since the start of the blackout. With the blackout in its sixth day, hospitals struggled to keep equipment running, food rotted in the tropical heat and exports from the country's main oil terminal were shut down. Venezuela's opposition-controlled Congress on Monday declared a symbolic "state of alarm" on Monday. Power returned to many parts of the country on Tuesday, including some areas that had not had electricity since last Thursday, according to witnesses and social media. But power was still out in parts of the capital of Caracas and the western region near the border with Colombia. 'TRUMP MOST RESPONSIBLE' Maduro blamed Washington for organizing what he said was a sophisticated cyber attack on Venezuela's hydroelectric power operations. "Donald Trump is most responsible for the cyber attack on the Venezuelan electricity system," Maduro said in a broadcast from the Miraflores presidential palace on Monday night. "This is a technology that only the government of the United States possesses." Maduro, elected in 2013 following the death of his political mentor Hugo Chavez, officially broke diplomatic relations with the United States on Jan. 23 when it recognized Guaido. Washington evacuated most of its diplomatic staff two days later. The blackout was likely caused by a technical problem with transmission lines linking the Guri hydroelectric plant in southeastern Venezuela to the national power grid, experts told Reuters. Venezuela's electricity network has suffered from years of underinvestment and lack of maintenance. With the economy in a tailspin, spare parts are scarce while many skilled technical staff have fled the country amid an exodus of more than three million Venezuelans in three years. The government suspended schools and business activities on Tuesday for two more days, after doing so on Friday and Monday. Guaido planned to lead national protests over the blackout in Caracas on Tuesday afternoon. "With our neighbors and relatives, we will protest in the streets and avenues closest to each other's home to claim our rights," Guaido said on Twitter on Tuesday. Amid signs of a crackdown on media, the National Press Workers' Union said that prominent radio journalist Luis Carlos Diaz was arrested on Monday by intelligence agents at his home in Caracas. The Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Venezuelan authorities briefly detained American journalist Cody Weddle last week before ordering him to leave the country.