Politics

Venezuelans Are Suffering Through a Slo-Mo Revolt

With Guaidó and Maduro digging in, conditions in the country continue to unravel.

A burned-out aid truck at the Venezuela-Colombia border.
Photographer: Edgard Garrido/Reuters

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By Daniel Cancel

February 28, 2019 at 9:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

This article is part of the March 4, 2019 issue of businessweek.

There’s a saying used in Venezuela when there’s a stalemate or showdown: “Él que se cansa pierde”—“He who tires first loses.”

The standoff in Venezuela took a fatal turn over the weekend of Feb. 23, when President Nicolás Maduro sent the military to confront supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaidó on the Colombian and Brazilian borders. In the ensuing chaos, trucks full of essential food and medicine were destroyed, and about 280 people were injured, more than 60 of them by bullets. Guaidó was able to blame the violence on an oppressive regime, while Maduro framed the aid effort as an attempted U.S.-backed invasion.