Venezuela heading for civil war, says former colonel
Retired colonel José Machillanda calls the country's interim leader, Juan Guaido, naive and simplistic
Caracas — Venezuela is on course for civil war, one of the country’s most respected military analysts has warned. “If the US go in, it’ll be three days. If the Colombians go in, maybe a week,” said retired colonel José Machillanda. “But there will likely be chaos building up to that. The rifles and pistols and automatic weapons will come out. We’re heading towards civil war.” Juan Guaido, recognised by more than 50 countries as the interim president, declared a “state of alarm” on Monday after four days of nationwide blackouts. He said that 17 people had died from hospital equipment failing, describing their deaths as “murder”. President Nicolas Maduro blamed the largest blackout in Venezuela’s modern history on a US-orchestrated cyber attack. But one veteran of Corpoelec, the state electric company, said the blackouts were due to a lack of equipment, poor maintenance and staff fleeing the country. Machillanda said he believed US intervention could come, but not before the country t...
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