Maduro
© Presna LatinaPresident of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said on Saturday that cyber attacks against Venezuela's electricity system, had come from U.S. actors through channels in Colombia and Chile.

"The latest report showed new results of virus introduction into Venezuela's electrical systems in the computerized system, which points to another type of attack ... From Chile and Colombia, they carried out attacks supported by the United States government," said Maduro during a demonstration in Caracas.

Addressing the political crisis still prevailing in Venezuela, the president appealed to leaders of the region to support a great national dialogue in the Bolivarian Republic:
"I appeal to the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to the President of Uruguay, Dr. Tabaré Vázquez, to the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, and I appeal to the Prime Ministers and Presidents of the Caribbean, for a great dialogue of peace and understanding."
Maduro added that with the participation of Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia and Caribbean countries, Venezuela could establish a national dialogue with all political, cultural, economic and social sectors.

In February, the governments of Mexico, Uruguay and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) proposed the Montevideo mechanism to solve the crisis, which provides for four phases: creating conditions for a direct dialogue between the conflicting parties in Venezuela, agreement and implementation of the agreement.

Maduro on Saturday also urged the international community to demand that the United States stop the aggression against Caracas. "I urge the heads of state and governments of the world to raise their voices [...] to defend the demands to stop the aggression of US imperialism against the people of Venezuela," Maduro said.

Maduro also called on all forces within Venezuela to form a national front to unite the country and jointly demand that US authorities stop attacking the country's economy.

Venezuela has long suffered from an acute economic crisis caused by US oil price manipulation followed by sanctions against the country. In January, opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president of Venezuela after running for re-election of Maduro in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaidó and asked Maduro to resign.

Maduro accused the United States of trying to organize a coup to install Guaidó as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and several other countries expressed their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
About the Author:
Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.