The Humanitarian Crisis in Venezuela

Currently, the country of Venezuela is suffering from both a humanitarian crisis and political warfare. It can be inferred that the human rights abuses citizens of Venezuela face are a direct result of the political power struggle between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido. It’s worth mentioning, that Venezuela technically has two presidents. Aside from Maduro, Juan Guiado is also the president of Venezuela, however, self declared. Different from Maduro, Guaido is backed by the people, so perhaps he is the country’s true president or at least the people’s president. Under the rule of the country’s current President and de-facto dictator, Nicolas Maduro, who came to power in 2013, the once great democratic country is now on the brink of collapsing. Presently, Venezuela is in the mist of an economic crisis, one of the worst economic crises in the country's history. As a result, citizens of Venezuela are living without access to basic human necessities. As of 2018, 80% of households in Venezuela are insecure food wise. There has been a severe shortage of medicine, medical supplies, food, and more, leading many Venezuelan natives to flee the country in hopes of obtaining a better quality of life. More than 3 million out of a total 32 million Venezuelans have fled the country over the course of the last five years.


For those who still reside within the country, things appear bleak. Several humanitarian groups have attempted to deliver supplies and aid to Venezuelans who are trapped within the confines of the country, but they’ve faced much difficulty attempting to do so as Maduro has blocked aid organizations from entering the country. Contrary to others, Maduro believes there is no humanitarian crisis taking place within the country, and even stated “Venezuelans are not beggars,” implying that citizens of the country did not need handouts. For now aid is being delivered to a bordering town within Colombia rather close to the Venezuelan border.

Unfortunately, there is no longer any freedom of expression or fundamental rights for Venezuelan citizens due to the country’s current political climate. The The instability of the countries government plays an incredibly large role in the countries current humanitarian crises. Bickering amongst those in positions of power in Venezuela has negatively impacted the countries citizens, while the while those in power fret over losing power, Venezuelans are struggling with no end in sight.

Pozzebon, Stefano. “Aid Is Piling up on Venezuela's Border. Here's Why It's Not Getting In.” CNN, Cable News Network,

Aleem, Zeeshan. “How Venezuela Went from a Rich Democracy to a Dictatorship on the Brink of Collapse.” Vox.com,

“World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Venezuela.” Human Rights Watch, 17 Jan. 2019,

“Nicolás Maduro Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Jan. 2019,

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