Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, had, on 19 January 2020, defied the travel ban imposed on him by Nicolás Maduro and crossed into Colombia where he attended a counter-terrorism conference in the capital, Bogotá, alongside foreign ministers from several Latin American nations. Guaidó, who is recognised by over 50 countries as Venezuela’s President, had been received by Colombian President Iván Duque with full presidential honours, after which they held talks to discuss the importance of re-establishing democracy in Venezuela and methods to address the dire humanitarian and economic situation ongoing there. Additionally, Guaidó met with United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who reassured him of U.S. support for both the opposition and people of Venezuela. 

Upon arrival, Guaidó, it seems, was full of determination, tweeting: “I assure you the return to our country will be full of good news.” Pompeo added that he would “fully expect there will be further action that the United States would take to continue to support President Guaidó and the Venezuelan people.” Pompeo elaborated that “the world must continue to support the Venezuelan people’s effort to restore their democracy and put an end to Maduro’s tyranny which harms millions of Venezuelans and has an impact on Columbia and indeed on the entire region.” 

Despite the strengthening of Guaidó’s relationship with foreign nations, many suspect that his trip, unannounced prior to leaving, will only aggravate tensions between the Guaidó and Maduró. Guaidó, leader of the National Assembly, had declared himself interim president in January 2019, earning the label of “usurper” from Maduro who despite being re-elected in 2018, was believed to have won due to rigged polls. The dismissal of Guaidó as the legitimate president of the National Assembly, who themselves are at loggerheads with the National Constituent Assembly, in February 2019, could further complicate Guaidó’s return home. Where previously Guaidó had defied the travel ban and received an entry stamp at Venezuela’s main international airport despite numerous investigations against him, he could now face serious retaliation from Maduro. 

Maduro now sees opportunity, as the White House, despite endorsing the opposition leader and levying heavy sanctions on Venezuela, including “a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets [especially the oil sector]…and a bar on transactions with his government” according to BBC News, has eased pressure against Maduro’s government and pivoted its attention, instead, to the Middle East. Maduro ,who previously accused the U.S. of orchestrating a coup to oust him, with some analysts suggesting that the sanctions have offered Maduro a “convenient scapegoat to blame for the dire state of Venezuela’s economy” (BBC News), now appears to seek the creation of “a new type of relationship” with the U.S., which John Bolton, who until last year was the Trump administration’s national security adviser, dismissed outright. (Financial Times). 

Moreover, Guaidó’s travels to Colombia may not prove to be as fruitful as expected. As analysts had speculated during his previous defiance of the ban, the trip, though it improved Guaidó’s position in the short term, “yielded few tangible gains and left the opposition without a leader at a crucial time in its struggle against Maduro,” according to the New York Times. This is a part of Maduro’s attempt to weaken opponents through a “divide and rule” strategy, where many opposition candidates had been barred from running whilst numerous others had been “jailed or fled the country for fear of being imprisoned” (BBC News) in the past. With Guaidó being further weakened by affiliations with a corruption scandal and frequent infighting within opposition ranks, causing talks between Maduro’s government and the opposition between May and August of 2019 to be unproductive, some Venezuelans have lost faith in Guaidó’s ability to topple Maduro from his seven years of governance.

Meanwhile, as progress toward a change in governance remains slow, the Venezuelan people have suffered and endured crippling hyperinflation, inadequate healthcare, a significant rise in infant and maternal mortality amongst the executions, disappearances, and torture of politicians. Though the UN Human Rights Council are taking steps toward holding the Venezuelan authorities accountable for their crimes by launching an investigation into the “widespread targeted repression and persecution” of peaceful protestors, alongside acknowledging “grave concern at the fact that there have been at 6,000 killings resulting from security operations in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela since January 2018,” more has to be done. Currently over one million children are unvaccinated, causing diphtheria and measles to resurface, additionally over 30 million people are in need of aid, yet Maduro’s government blames it on sanctions levied by foreign nations. Four million Venezuelans have fled their country in search of a safer, more secure life and stream of income, yet Venezuela’s neighbours are tightening their borders, with Ecuador declaring a state of emergency and Peru enforcing stricter policies on required travel documentation. 

The crisis in Venezuela has devastated, and continues to affect, the lives of too many. Efforts have to be enacted persistently both locally and internationally. Discussions, like the one held last Sunday, should amount to the rapid implementation of action and support for the Venezuelan people, before the situation is allowed to escalate any further.