Iconic photo of the Battle of the Bridges on the Simón Bolívar International Bridge on the border of Venezuela and Colombia, February 23, 2019. File photo.
This Thursday, February 23, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced that it had been four years since the civic-military union defeated the invasion plans of the US and allied countries on the border of Venezuela and Colombia, commemorating the victory of the so-called “Battle of the Bridges.”
“We commemorate four years of the revolutionary action of the people in the Battle of the Bridges,” wrote Maduro via social media, “where the imperial invasion plans and the powerful global media campaign were defeated. An exemplary victory that showcases the strength of the civic-military-police union.”
Conmemoramos 4 años de la acción revolucionaria del Pueblo en la Batalla de “Los Puentes”, donde se logró derrotar los planes de invasión imperial y la poderosa campaña mediática global. Una victoria ejemplar que da cuenta de la fortaleza de la unión cívico-militar-policial. pic.twitter.com/d3BeysPpVD
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) February 23, 2023
On February 23, 2019, the Venezuelan far-right opposition, led by former deputy Juan Guaidó, announced that shipments of food and medicines donated by the US and other countries would enter through the border, after denouncing the existence of a humanitarian crisis in this South American nation.
However, they did not ask permission from the Maduro administration, which described the alleged aid as “crumbs” and “a show to justify a foreign intervention.”
At that time, Maduro ordered the closure of the air and sea borders with Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, where the government of that island received part of the “humanitarian aid” from Miami. Venezuelan authorities also closed the main border crossing with Brazil, as well as the border with Colombia.
February 23rd: The Epic Victory of the People and the FANB! – Battle of the Bridges Anniversary
However, at the Francisco de Paula Santander and Simón Bolívar bridges, on the border with Colombia, irregular situations were reported due to the attempt to enter trucks with the alleged humanitarian aid provided by the US government via USAID. Some of the trucks were burned by the violence coming from the Colombian side and several people were injured during the clashes in the border area.
An investigation by the New York Times revealed days later that of the shipment of alleged humanitarian aid, only a small part was food or medicine, and that the rest was made up of material to arm terrorist groups.
(Sputnik) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
