MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th April, 2023) Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who proclaimed himself interim president in 2019 and has since been abandoned by most his allies, said on Monday he had left the country and crossed into Colombia on foot, fearing "threats" from the authorities.
"I have just arrived in Colombia, the same way that millions of Venezuelans have done before me: on foot," Guaido said on Twitter.
For the past few weeks, the opposition leader has been on high alert amid reports that the Venezuelan government is preparing to arrest him, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported.
"Over the past few days, the regime has increased its threats against me with the sole purpose of silencing me. I won't give (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro that chance," Guaido added.
He also said he intended to meet with international delegations which are coming to Colombia to attend a summit on Venezuelan reconciliation later this week. Guaido did not specify whether he would return to Venezuela. The newspaper called his visit an escape.
Guaido proclaimed himself interim president and headed mass protests in Venezuela in early 2019. This escalated into a long political crisis in which a group of Western countries led by the United States supported Guaido and recognized him as legitimate president, while Russia, China, Turkey and several other nations continued to recognize Maduro's presidency. It was not until December 2022 that the Venezuelan opposition voted to dismantle Guaido's "interim government."
On April 25, the Colombian capital, Bogota, will host an international summit to discuss the political situation in Venezuela which is expected to be attended by representatives from Latin America, Europe as well as the US.
