United Nations, New York. As most of the world seems focused on the North Korean or Syrian crisis the UN met to deal with matters closer to home in Venezuela. Violent protests against the Maduro regime are causing concerns among western democracies, who are vested stakeholders in the South American nation.
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday held a closed-door session over the crisis in Venezuela at the request of the United States, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nimrat Randhawa “Nikki Haley” said.
Ms.Randhawa-Haley said the Security Council meeting began at 12:30 p.m. The meeting comes amid violent daily protests in Venezuela for nearly two months now. More than 40 people have died nationwide during the protests.
The protests began on March 30 after Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice, or TSJ, said it would assume the National Assembly’s duties a ruling it later reversed. The Venezuelan opposition said the TSJ’s move was akin to a coup d’etat in favor of Maduro’s regime, which has employed martial law and detention camps to address the tense situation.
There have been demonstrations in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s regime, most are anti-government demonstrations decrying the country’s economic collapse under Maduro’s government and what the opposition says is the deterioration of democracy nationwide.
Peaceful protesters have been injured, arrested and even killed by their own government,” Ms. Randhawa-Haley said in a statement. “Medicine is unavailable, hospitals lack supplies and it’s become difficult to find food. For the sake of the Venezuelan people, and the security of the region, we must work together to ensure Maduro ends this violence and oppression, and restores democracy to the people.”