Military Invasion Of Venezuela Cannot Be Ruled Out - Organization Of American States' Head

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th September, 2018) Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro said that the military invasion of crisis-hit Venezuela cannot be ruled out.

"Concerning military invasion aimed at toppling [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro, we cannot rule out such an option," Almagro said on late Friday in the Colombian city of Cucuta located near the border with Venezuela, as quoted by the NTN24 broadcaster.

The OAS head arrived in Cucuta in order to monitor the situation around the influx of Venezuelan refugees. Almagro pointed out that the situation in Cucuta illustrated the "falsehood of the Venezuelan dictatorship.

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Venezuela has been engulfed in a deep economic crisis, with hyperinflation and food shortages. Besides, the country has been facing mass protests. As result, Venezuelans are seeking asylum in other countries, with over 2 million people having left Venezuela since 2014, according to the United Nations. Some 1 million of them remain in Colombia.

On Friday, Colombian President Ivan Duque asked the OAS and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) for financial assistance over the influx of Venezuelan refugees.