The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
The Americas

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó arrives in Colombia, defying travel ban and risking arrest upon return

By
, 
and 
February 22, 2019 at 7:53 p.m. EST
Opposition supporters voice their anger toward members of the National Guard in Capacho Viejo, Venezuela. on Feb. 22. The protesters and government forces are on opposite sides of an effort to bring aid into the country from Colombia. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela — Venezuelan soldiers opened fire Friday on a group of civilians attempting to keep open a segment of the southern border with Brazil for deliveries of humanitarian aid, causing two fatalities and multiple injuries, according to eyewitnesses and community leaders.

The violence unfolded as the United States and the government of embattled President Nicolás Maduro defused at least one immediate source of tension — a looming deadline on Monday for all U.S. and Venezuelan diplomats to depart Caracas and Washington, respectively. The agreement bought both sides more time to negotiate a longer-term diplomatic presence after the rupture of official relations last month.