Spanish – A group of military personnel in Venezuela began a rebellion operation against the regime of Nicolás Maduro. It was a failed attempt that ended with officials being detained.
A report by Infobae revealed that in the early hours of Monday, April 20, soldiers were looking to take over a Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) detachment stationed in the state of Miranda.
According to the journalist Sebastiana Barráez, several of the military members who participated in this attempted rebellion were also part of the uprising led by interim President Juan Guaidó on April 30, 2019.
Al momento, informa Beatriz de cuatro funcionarios más que han sido capturados junto al capitán de la GNB, Morillo por madrugonazo en Los Teques.
Sus identidades: https://t.co/mpUd4u7onX
— Angela E Vera Lefeld (@uguelo) April 21, 2020
According to Barráez, the National Guard is the force that has attempted the most military actions against Nicolás Maduro, including the rebellion in Cotiza, Operation Libertad on April 30, 2019, the attempted assassination on August 4, 2018, the assault on Fort Paramacay in Operation David, as well as Operation Armageddon, which involved an insurrection around the elections of May 20, 2018.
“According to preliminary reports from the Directorate of Military Counter-Intelligence (DGCIM), the rebel group’s second step was to move with these weapons to the Center for Military Processed of Ramo Verde in Los Teques, where, they intended to take over the only real military prison in Venezuela and free the detainees. Their strategy was that the military personnel who had been imprisoned for political reasons, that is, those accused of treason and instigating rebellion, would join a military uprising,” the report states.
Venezuelan journalist Ángela Vera reported that “The movement planned to take over the facilities of Ramo Verde and detachment 441; once those prisons were united, other detachments would begin to join.”
Es el traslado del Cap GN de apellido Murillo. Detenido y posible que lo acusen de movimiento en contra de NM.
En la espera de pronunciamiento donde desestiman robo de las armas al destacamento 41 Los Teques por alzamiento militar.Nombres darán como visitas domiciliarias: https://t.co/irz4e1ketG
— Angela E Vera Lefeld (@uguelo) April 20, 2020
Maduro is suspicious of the military
Facing the attempts of rebellion against the regime, Maduro has decided to create his “parallel army” made up of armed civilians.
The Bolivarian Militia is made up of civilian Chavistas of any age, and they often don’t have any training. According to statements by Maduro himself, there are about three million militia members of both genders who organize themselves in the communities in the so-called popular units of integral defense (UPDI).
In addition to the militia, there are armed paramilitary collectives in Venezuela, created and sponsored by the regime. These collectives have become terrorist groups, parapolice, extermination and control organizations of the country. They attack protests, and intimidate, rob, and murder Venezuelans.
Another criminal army composed of paramilitaries and willing to defend Maduro is the Colombian narco-guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN), which has promised to be the first line of defense in the event of a military intervention to overthrow Maduro.
Military detainees
While Maduro is arming Chavista civilians, the number of detained military personnel accused of rebellion or treason is increasing. Currently, 121 military personnel are incarcerated because the tyrannical regime is afraid of an uprising.
The Spanish newspaper El Mundo published a report detailing the different modes of torture that the dictatorship inflicts on the military members who are now political prisoners. According to Gonzalo Himiob, director of the NGO Foro Penal Venezolano, the regime has initiated “torture, and especially hard, degrading, and cruel treatment of soldiers.” He affirms that this is state policy to send a message of terror and intimidation to the members of the Venezuelan Armed Forces.