Article with quite a bit of detail.
Feb 23, 2019: Some of today’s unreported developments in Venezuela
Here’s the story:
Three members of the local Pemon ingenious community were shot dead, and as many as 15 others wounded, as they were attempting to prevent the military of Nicolas Maduro, president of the regime ruling Venezuela, from closing the Venezuelan-Brazilian border at San Francisco de Yuruani, Kumarakapay (in Pemon language).
The regime forces sought to avoid the entrance of humanitarian aid. The Pemons managed to get hold of Brigade General Jose Miguel Montoya Rodríguez, Zone Commander of the National Bolivarian Guards in Bolivar State (62nd command) to force the Maduro regime to stop its violence against civilians. This commander said he would only receive orders from Maduro. He is still being retained.
Also the Pemons captured another military officer, Lt. Grecia del Valle Roque Castillo, who is now crying and apologizing for the attack. He also remains in the Pemons’ custody.
A lieutenant detained by the Pemones tribe, Grecia Del Valle Roque Castillo, is apologizing from the indigenous community for the attack.
Maduro’s regime has launched a nationwide repression and ordered a total closure of the Venezuelan airspace for commercial flights. There is also an extended blackout of foreign and opposition media outlets. The exact number of protesters murdered and wounded across the country remains unknown.
Former Venezuelan regime president Hugo Chavez had established armed gangs, known as colectivos, usually using small motorcycles to very quickly scare the population and kidnap or kill people.
In Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, there are presumably over 20.000 colectivos members. A large contingency are now deployed at Venezuela-Colombia border. At the moment the colectivos are very active across the whole country. Maduro says he has ordered them to “defend the revolution.”
Scenes of colectivos today in the state of Tachira State.
[Photos etc at link]
Notice the steel cables from side to side of the streets, called guayas. When up, they are used to stop the colectivos´s motorcycles.
The colectivos had also been attacking the humanitarian aid convoys, reports indicate. Tensions are raising high and sources say Maduro has cut all relations with Colombia.
It is said that the U.S. has given Maduro until Sunday, February 24, to respond by allow humanitarian aid into the country and stopping all violence.
[More at link, from Bolton and more.]