Page 6 - aruba-today-20221216

A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 16 december 2022
Venezuela’s Maduro enters 2023 seeking global recognition

By REGINA GARCIA CANO ceeded Chavez in 2013,
Associated Press about three-quarters of
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Ven- the population lives on less
ezuelan President Nicolás than $1.90 a day — the in-
Maduro was not invited to ternational benchmark of
a summit of Western Hemi- extreme poverty. Power
sphere leaders in June. But outages are part of every-
by October, he traveled day life, and water supply is
to Egypt for a conference severely restricted.
where he joked with French “He’s trying to project an
President Emmanuel Ma- image of strength, but the
cron and shook hands with reality is that he’s just in-
John Kerry, the U.S. govern- credibly thirsty right now
ment’s climate envoy. for international attention,”
The encounters, with a tow- said Geoff Ramsey, direc-
ering Maduro graciously tor of Venezuela research
smiling throughout, were at the U.S.-based Washing-
carefully captured on vid- ton Office on Latin Ameri-
eo, posted on social media ca think tank. “We saw this
and broadcast on Venezu- from Cairo, where he was
ela’s state television. ambushing world leaders
A few months short of a de- and then projecting these
cade since he inherited the Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, center, stands next to the President of the European hallway encounters as if
Commission Ursula von der Leyen, center right, as leaders prepare themselves for a group photo
country’s leadership upon at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 7, 2022. they were official state vis-
the death of President Associated Press its.”
Hugo Chávez, Maduro is Maduro has serious cash-
working to regain the inter- proven oil reserves, but it Strategic and International personally ordered the flow problems and wants
national recognition he lost has not supplied the West’s Studies, a Washington- detention of government access to the international
when his 2018 re-election market since the U.S. im- based think tank. opponents, who endured financial system and the
was deemed a sham by posed crippling economic Maduro’s attempt to clean electric shocks, asphyxia- U.S. oil market, Ramsey
dozens of nations. sanctions as democracy up his image comes as tion and other cruel acts said. But, he added, the
Those efforts are also aimed and human rights dete- many of the conditions while in custody. only way Maduro likely will
at bolstering his strength at riorated after Maduro’s re- that turned him into an in- An economic crisis that be- get access to dollars again
home as he enters 2023 election. ternational pariah remain gan during Chávez’s last is by engaging in negotia-
while pressure mounts for The international communi- unchanged. months in office has only tions with the opposition.
a free and fair presidential ty wants “some kind of con- Independent experts work- worsened during Maduro’s Talks between Maduro
election the following year. tribution to global energy ing with the U.N.’s top hu- presidency. It has driven and the opposition, includ-
Crucial to Maduro’s calcu- security, and with Russian man rights body have roughly 7 million Venezu- ing the faction backed by
lations are his country’s top oil off the market, Venezu- documented a systemic elans to leave the country, the U.S. government, were
asset oil and the war in elan oil becomes attrac- attack on government op- made the local currency suspended for more than
Ukraine. tive again,” said Ryan Berg, ponents, journalists and worthless and pushed mil- a year after one of his key
The South American coun- director of the Americas others. Their report in Sep- lions into poverty. allies was extradited to the
try has the world’s largest program at the Center for tember alleged Maduro Under Maduro, who suc- U.S. from Africa. q

El Salvador congress extends gang crackdown yet again

SAN SALVADOR, El Salva- Bukele’s emergency pow- extends for the ninth time are frequently arrested just off certain sectors of cities
dor (AP) — The congress ers to crack down on gangs the measures, enacted based on their age, on their in El Salvador, surrounding
of El Salvador has voted for yet another month. after a surge in murders appearance or whether them with police and sol-
to extend President Nayib The vote late Wednesday in March, and ensures they live in a gang-domi- diers, and checking any-
they will last into 2023. The nated slum. one entering or leaving.
crackdown appears to The country’s human rights Bukele requested Congress
have widespread popular official, Raquel Caballero, grant him extraordinary
support despite evidence said 2,100 people have powers after gangs were
of abuses. been released after arrest blamed for 62 killings on
More than 60,000 people because they had no ties March 26.
have been arrested under to the street gangs. Under the decree, the right
the measures, which sus- El Salvador’s gangs, which of association, the right to
pend some constitutional have been estimated to be informed of the reason
rights and gives police count some 70,000 mem- for an arrest and access to
more powers to arrest and bers in their ranks, have a lawyer are suspended.
hold suspects. long controlled swaths of The government also can
Activists say it has led to hu- territory and extorted and intervene in the calls and
man rights abuses, and Sal- killed with impunity. mail of anyone they con-
vadoran officials said they Recent polls show support sider a suspect. The time
will review prison conditions for the measures reaching someone can be held
A handcuffed man, arrested for alleged gang connections, with human rights groups nearly 90% among Salva- without charges is extend-
waits to be transferred to a prison at the police delegation of
San Bartolo in Soyapango, El Salvador, Aug. 16, 2022. starting in January. Rights dorans. ed from three days to 15
Associated Press activists say young men Bukele has begun sealing days.q