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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 29 March 2022
Maduro foe accused of evading lawsuit by ex Green Beret

By JOSHUA GOODMAN by knocking unsuccessfully
Associated Press on the door of Rendón's
MIAMI (AP) — A Venezue- downtown Miami apart-
lan political strategist alleg- ment.
edly threatened to shoot During the last attempt, at
a gun through the door of 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 25, he
his luxury Miami condo to was informed by the build-
avoid being served a law- ing's front desk that Rendón
suit by a former U.S. Green had called down to say he
Beret he hired as part of a would "shoot through the
plan to oust President Nico- door" if he ever attempted
las Maduro, according to a to knock again, according
court hearing Monday. to a sworn affidavit filed
Jordan Goudreau in Octo- ahead of Monday's hear-
ber 2020 sued JJ Rendón ing.
for $1.4 million, alleging "My process server at that
breach of contract, after time decided to do a stra-
Rendon walked away from tegic withdrawal," attorney
a plan he briefly pushed Gustavo Garcia-Montes
on behalf of the Venezu- said during Monday's brief,
elan opposition to depose one-minute hearing, which
Maduro with the help of ended with Judge Carlos
the three-time Bronze Star This photo released by the Venezuelan Miraflores presidential press office shows President Nicolas Lopez granting Goudreau's
recipient and Iraq war vet- Maduro speaking over military equipment that he says was seized during an incursion into Ven- request that Rendón be for-
eran. ezuela, during his televised address from Miraflores in Caracas, Venezuela, May 4, 2020. mally notified through alter-
Goudreau nonetheless Associated Press native means available to
plowed ahead, traveling the court, such as certified
to Colombia to help train a plaint, saying that his door remove Maduro and install Miami, Goudreau's attor- mail or an advertisement in
ragtag army of volunteers to his apartment is bullet- in his place Juan Guaidó, ney asserted that the rea- a newspaper.
at secret camps set up by proofed and he doesn't who the U.S. and dozens of son the case hasn't moved Rendón has questioned
deserters from Venezuela's possess any guns. allies recognize as Venezu- forward is because Rendón Goudreau's motives for
military. Operation Gideon "It's another crazy, delusion- ela's legitimate leader. has repeatedly and inten- bringing a lawsuit he con-
— or the Bay of Piglets, as al and baseless claim inside The case has been dor- tionally refused to accept siders frivolous.
the bloody fiasco came to an originally baseless law- mant since Goudreau filed the summons — a basic first He's asserted that the
be known — ended with six suit," he told The Associated his 133-page complaint, step in any civil lawsuit. agreement they signed,
insurgents dead and two of Press in a brief statement. which reads like an intrigue- According to Goudreau, for which he reimbursed
Goudreau's former Special Goudreau and his Florida- filled Netflix series involv- a court certified server at- Goudreau $50,000 to cover
Forces buddies behind bars based company, Silver- ing everything from clan- tempted to personally de- expenses, was exploratory
in Caracas. corp USA, accuse Rendón destine airstrips to aides to liver a summons on seven in nature and in any case
Rendón denied making of defaulting on an agree- former Vice President Mike occasions starting in August nullified months before he
any such threats to avoid ment they had signed ear- Pence. 2021 — almost 10 months launched the ill-fated raid
being served the com- lier to detain, capture or At a hearing on Monday in after the lawsuit was filed — on his own.q

South Sudan's deputy president warns of return 'back to war'

By DENG MACHOL tional partners to prevail Unity states, which are seen
Associated Press on President Salva Kiir not as Machar's strongholds.
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — to take this country back to There were high hopes for
South Sudan's vice presi- war." peace and stability when
dent is urging regional There was heavy military oil-rich South Sudan gained
mediators to intervene to deployment in the capital, its long-fought indepen-
protect the country's fragile Juba, Monday near the in- dence from Sudan in 2011.
peace deal, warning of a ternational airport and the But the country slid into
return to war amid alleged presidential palace, high- civil war in December 2013
attacks by government lighting growing tensions. largely based on ethnic di-
troops on his forces. Puok Both, a spokesman for visions when forces loyal to
Riek Machar accused Pres- Machar, confirmed the de- Kiir battled those loyal to
ident Salva Kiir of violating ployment of government Machar.
a 2018 truce in a letter to troops in parts of Juba, say- Tens of thousands of people
the regional mediator, the ing "we don't know their in- were killed in the civil war South Sudan's president Salva Kiir, left, and vice-president Riek
8-nation Intergovernmental tentions." which ended with a 2018 Machar, right, shake hands after meetings to discuss outstand-
Authority on Development, But in a televised speech peace agreement that ing issues to the peace deal on Oct. 20, 2019.
or IGAD. later on Monday, Kiir said brought Kiir and Machar Associated Press
"The security situation in that "the presence of se- together in a government
South Sudan has been de- curity forces in the streets of national unity. Kiir on Friday issued a de- way — the troika support-
teriorating for the last few does not mean that there is But challenges remain, in- cree in which he offered ing South Sudan's peace
months," Machar said in insecurity in Juba." cluding the government's five command positions in deal — said last week they
the letter. "Therefore, we South Sudanese govern- failure to implement prom- the army and the police to were concerned that the
request, as a matter of ur- ment troops and forces loy- ised reforms including com- his rivals, a unilateral deci- new outbreak of fighting
gency, the intervention of al to Machar have recently pleting the unification of sion opposed by Machar. threatens to undermine the
IGAD and other interna- clashed in Upper Nile and the army command. The U.S., the U.K. and Nor- government's unity.q