Riots Erupt in Venezuela’s Countryside Over Food, Fuel Scarcity
(Bloomberg) -- Dozens of Venezuelans clashed with police forces in the countryside of southern Bolivar state on Thursday. The incident was the latest of at least 500 protests registered in April as food and fuel become scarce in Venezuela.
Despite the six-week lockdown ordered by the government of Nicolas Maduro in response to the coronavirus, protests in demand of food have taken place in 15 states in April, with looting and violence in three of them, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict. The protests have not yet reached Caracas.
In the protest in Bolivar, one man died, several were injured and 33 were arrested following the looting of a municipal market and neighboring shops near the town of Upata.
In a separate incident, dozens of residents in the eastern town of Cumanacoa forced their way into five food retailers and a chicken farm on Wednesday. Two people were shot and 32 were arrested, according to local lawmaker Robert Alcala. Similar situations were reported in Lara, Yaracuy and Bolivar states the week prior, resulting in armed forces quashing discontent and detaining protesters, the local media reported.
Other Venezuelans across the country are leaving their homes for food runs, dodging protests. Stocking up and hunkering down isn’t an option for many people who are too poor to buy enough food in advance.
Vast gasoline shortages are taking a toll on already fragile supply chains, disrupting food deliveries and public transportation everywhere. The situation is likely to continue: there are few signs of long-term relief for local refineries. In the meantime, crops in rural states have gone to waste as farmers are unable to collect fruit and grains on empty tanks.
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
