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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 13 September 2024
U.S. sanctions 16 allies of Venezuela’s president over accusations

of obstructing the election

By REGINA GARCIA CANO The State Department said
Associated Press it is placing new visa restric-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The tions on Maduro allies who
U.S. government on Thurs- are accused of impeding
day responded to Venezu- the vote and repressing
ela’s disputed July presi- Venezuelans. The depart-
dential election by impos- ment did not name those
ing sanctions against 16 individuals.
allies of President Nicolás The potential effect of the
Maduro, accusing them of individual sanctions and
obstructing the vote and visa restrictions announced
carrying out human rights Thursday is unclear. Previ-
abuses. ously punished Maduro
Those targeted by the Trea- loyalists still play key roles in
sury Department include Venezuela’s government,
the head of the country’s including as vice president,
high court, leaders of state attorney general and de-
security forces and pros- fense minister.
ecutors. The move came A senior Biden administra-
days after the departure tion official told reporters
into exile of Edmundo that the U.S. expects the
González Urrutia, the former latest announcement to
diplomat who represented Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez waves to supporters during a “prompt deeper reflection”
the main opposition par- political event at a square in the Hatillo municipality of Caracas, Venezuela, June 19, 2024. among the Maduro allies
ties and claimed to have Associated Press about how far they will go
won the July 28 presidential to help him in his effort to
election by a wide margin. afterward announced not The court reaffirmed his vic- line appear to exhibit all stay in power. The official
Venezuela’s electoral au- only that their campaign tory. of the original security fea- spoke on condition of ano-
thorities declared Maduro had obtained vote tallies Experts from the United Na- tures. nymity under ground rules
the victor hours after polls from over two-thirds of the tions and the Carter Cen- “Rather than respecting set by the administration.
closed, but unlike previous electronic voting machines ter, which observed the the will of the Venezuelan The Treasury has penalized
presidential elections, they used in the election but election at the invitation people as expressed at the more than 140 current or
never released detailed also that they had pub- of Maduro’s government, ballot box, Maduro and his former Venezuelan officials.
vote tallies to back up their lished them online to show determined the results an- representatives have false- The State Department has
claim arguing that the Na- the world that Maduro had nounced by electoral au- ly claimed victory while re- identified nearly 2,000 peo-
tional Electoral Council’s lost. Global condemnation thorities lacked credibility. pressing and intimidating ple as possibly facing visa
website was hacked. To over the lack of transpar- The U.N. experts stopped the democratic opposition restrictions over allegations
the surprise of supporters ency prompted Maduro to short of validating the op- in an illegitimate attempt of corruption, undermin-
and opponents, González ask Venezuela’s high court, position’s claim to victory to cling to power by force,” ing democracy or violat-
and opposition leader Ma- stacked with ruling party but said the faction’s vot- Secretary of State Antony ing Venezuelans’ human
ria Corina Machado shortly loyalists, to audit the results. ing records published on- Blinken said in a statement. rights.q

U.N. warns some 25 million Sudanese risk famine without more

donations

By TRISHA THOMAS ter access to people at risk than 25 million people fac- is engulfed in a humanitar- scale,” McCain said, “And
Associated Press of starvation in Sudan and ing acute hunger, the U.N. ian crisis. Tens of thousands we need to make sure that
ROME (AP) — The World more money from the crisis- agency’s director said of people have died in the world understands the
Food Program needs bet- weary West to feed more Thursday. fighting. need and what is at stake
“Sudan’s nearly a forgot- While WFP has designated if we don’t.”
ten crisis right now,” WFP points of entry to bring aid WFP has been coping with
director Cindy McCain told to the hungry, the onset a lack of funding as donor
The Associated Press. of the rainy season means fatigue set in after the pan-
“There are so many crises trucks have difficulty reach- demic. The organization is
going on that people kind ing the Zamzam camp, trying to compensate by
of just, you know, it’s just home to more than 400,000 developing new technolo-
too much and their eyes displaced people, that was gies for predicting weath-
glaze over,’’ she added. declared to have crossed er and providing food in
Sudan plunged into con- the famine thresholds last emergencies.
flict in mid-April 2023, when February. “We have to we have to
long-simmering tensions “It’s taken our trucks almost do more with less. We have
between its military and two weeks to get in there,” to be more efficient, more
paramilitary leaders broke McCain explained, “Bridg- effective. We have our
out in the capital, Khar- es are washed out. Roads predict the things that we
toum, and spread to Darfur are washed out. It’s a really have to predict, climate
A World Food Programme (WFP) truck backs up to load food and other regions. Some 10 it’s a combination of really change effects and things
items from a recently landed UN helicopter, in Yida camp, South
Sudan, Sept. 14, 2012. million have been internally tragic situations.” are very necessary now,’’
Associated Press displaced and the country “We need to get in there at she said.q