Page 12 - aruba-today-20180519

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 19 May 2018

Empty stomachs drive Venezuela soldiers to desert in droves

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ being deployed again to
Associated Press hold back masses of an-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) gry protesters calling for a
— He enlisted in Venezue- new government. Experts
la's National Guard to earn say desertions surged in
a ticket out of poverty. But 2017 as the National Guard
little more than two years clashed with anti-Maduro
later, his monthly pay is protesters almost daily for
worth only about $2, forc- four months, leaving more
ing him to moonlight at a than 140 people dead and
tire shop, and he has put in hundreds more injured and
for a discharge. arrested.
"I don't know what every- There has been a spike in
body else does to survive," court martials. A handful of
said Ruben, a 21-year-old soldiers and officers were
sergeant, who fearing re- jailed in 2017 on suspicion
taliation agreed to speak of various crimes, yet 90
about his situation only if have already been arrest-
his last name was not re- ed so far this year, experts
vealed. "If I don't get out of say.
this, I'll starve to death." Aging, paunchy generals
Not even Venezuela's regularly flank Maduro in
once-proud military is im- televised events in a show
mune to the oil-rich coun- of strength, but in private
try's deepening economic they are more inclined to
crisis of food shortages grumble about his leader-
and skyrocketing prices, ship, said Alonso Medina
and while top command- Roa, a lawyer who defends
ers deny there is any dis- some of the military detain-
content, analysts say thou- ees.
sands of soldiers are asking Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lo-
for honorable discharges or pez, who commands Ven-
deserting their posts by sim- ezuela's armed forces as
ply walking away. minister of defense, an-
Since taking office after the nounced plans in March
death of Hugo Chavez, his to bolster conditions for
mentor who installed Ven- In this May 15, 2018 file photo, soldiers hold signs of the names of schools that will serve as voting soldiers struggling with eco-
ezuela's socialist adminis- centers as they leave the Military Academy to go to those schools in Caracas, Venezuela. nomic challenges. But he
tration, President Nicolas Associated Press denied there was wide-
Maduro has sought to lock spread unrest in the ranks
in support from the armed tary, which has historically vegetables. ing top-ranking officers an and ridiculed rumors of a
forces by pampering troops stepped in as the calming In the western city of Mara- even bigger slice of power. brewing military coup.
with outsized bonuses and hand during moments of caibo, Ruth Bravo, 21, said They head nearly half of "The Bolivarian armed forc-
awarding loyal officers with political crisis. she sent her husband into Venezuela's ministries, in- es won't be divided by any-
top government posts. Ruben, thin and down- the army for food benefits cluding control of the pri- one," he said, speaking at
He is counting on the back- cast, spoke to The Associ- so she and her two young mary food-supply program. the nation's biggest base in
ing of the military to ride out ated Press after crossing children could eat. But Most notably, six months the capital of Caracas.
any turbulent reaction if he the street from Caracas' such help seldom comes, ago Maduro named Maj. Adm. Remigio Ceballos,
is declared the winner of sprawling Fort Tiuna after forcing her to beg on the Gen. Manuel Quevedo head of the armed forces'
Sunday's presidential elec- handing in his discharge streets each day for sur- to revive the state-run oil strategic command, de-
tion, which has been con- papers, copies of which he vival. company, PDVSA, and its nied any mass exodus of
demned by much of the in- still had in a manila folder Even the rations served plummeting production soldiers, emphatically tell-
ternational community for under his arm. in military mess halls have though he had no previous ing the AP: "Not at all, that's
barring some of his leading He said he couldn't feed his dramatically diminished in experience in the industry. a lie."
critics from running. pregnant wife and 2-year- size and quality. To com- The 150,000 men and wom- Families of soldiers paint a
But as Venezuela quickly old son on his National pensate, soldiers are often en serving in Venezuela's far grimmer picture.
goes broke and hyperin- Guard pay. He sought work given leave several hours military are now the lowest Odalys Bermudez, wife of a
flation pulverizes the pay- changing tires on days off, during the day to hunt for paid in Latin America, with National Guard sergeant,
checks of civilians and earning double the roughly meals off base, several told monthly salaries worth only said she relies on "miracles"
soldiers alike, discontent is $2 a month he takes home the AP. to $2 to $12, said Rocio San to feed her four children
penetrating the barracks, from the military. He said Soldiers once made up Miguel, a Caracas-based aged 5 to 12. Some days,
raising doubts whether the he plans to make the side a privileged class at the military analyst. Base pay the gaunt 30-year-old bor-
troops will remain trustwor- job fulltime once he is dis- height of Venezuela's oil for troops in Colombia be- rows money from friends,
thy as their stomachs growl. charged. boom under Chavez, who gins at $75, while soldiers in or she sets up a makeshift
With the opposition defeat- He's hardly alone. himself was a former tank Mexico earn $300 to start. shop outside her apart-
ed and the economy wors- On the Caribbean island of commander. They had Nobody knows exactly ment near the military base
ening at the hand of the Margarita, soldiers in olive access to quality housing, how many soldiers have in Maracay.
increasingly authoritarian green uniforms and rifles cars and home appliances deserted. But San Miguel "I sell any little thing, wheth-
government, many Ven- slung over their shoulders at subsidized prices. and other experts say they er it's ice cream or cook-
ezuelans — as well as the openly wander the mar- But the largesse has dried number several thousand. ies," she said. "Anything I
Trump administration — are ket each morning begging up under Maduro, who has In addition to the econom- can get to fill the hole in my
looking more to the mili- merchants for fruits and tried to compensate by giv- ic strains, many soldiers fear stomach."q