Venezuela crisis: Maduro appears with soldiers following violent protests

Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has attempted to present a unified front with the army as pressure increases on him to resign.Following two days of political unrest and violent protests, Mr Maduro visited an army base in Caracas, where he appeared surrounded by soldiers, including his defence minister and military operations chief.During the visit, Mr Maduro reportedly called on armed forces to defeat “any coup plotter” and, in a televised national address, announced the Venezuelan armed forces were “united, cohesive and subordinate to their constitutional mandate”.The defiant message comes after opposition leader and self-appointed interim president Juan Guaido attempted to convince the military to join the fight in ousting Mr Maduro.US officials including US special envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams have previously said the country’s military high command has discussed the removal of Mr Maduro with the Supreme Court and representatives of Mr Guaido.“Almost everyone was involved with that, and so Maduro has to know that the high command is not truly loyal and they want a change,” Mr Abrams said Wednesday.On Wednesday, the US-backed effort to remove Mr Maduro saw thousands take to the streets in protest, however, the president has refused to cede power to Mr Guaido, who is considered the legitimate head of state by more than 50 countries including the US and the European Union.A court has also issued an arrest warrant for fellow opposition leader Leopoldo López, who violated house arrest earlier in the week, when he appeared alongside Mr Guaido.The two days of clashes in Caracas have reportedly left hundreds injured and four dead, according to rights groups.The next step, according to US officials, will be implementing more sanctions on Venezuela's government, however, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said military action may also be used to resolve the crisis.

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