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Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó set off at the head of a march Tuesday aimed at retaking the congress building that has been held by pro-government factions, but the path ahead appeared to be blocked by security forces and government supporters.
The government of President Nicolás Maduro called on its loyalists also to flood the streets, and also announced military exercises to defend the nation's major cities, setting the stage for potential clashes.
Guaidó led several hundred people through an opposition-friendly section of Caracas on a course toward downtown, which heavily dominated by supporters of Maduro. State police wearing riot gear were positioned between the opposition march and their destination.
Supporters of the socialist government — dressed in red shirts — also gathered around a stage set up blasting salsa music.
Some 60 nations, led by the United States, recognize Guaidó, head of the congress, as Venezuela's legitimate leader because they view Maduro's 2018 reelection as fraudulent. The government insists that Guaidó no longer is head of the National Assembly, recognizing a dissident group instead.
Attempts by opposition lawmakers led by Guaidó since early January to enter their legislative building in the center of Caracas have been met forcibly by armed civilians and security forces loyal to Maduro.
Those attacks drew condemnation Tuesday from the United Nations' top human rights official. Michelle Bachelet, the U.N.'s high commissioner for human rights, said she was "concerned' about the arrest of oppositions and recent attacks on demonstrators and journalists who covered Guaido's arrival in Caracas following an international tour that included a White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
In a statement in Geneva, she said her office continues to receive allegations of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment" at military counterintelligence prisons.
I “call for all parties to act with the heightened sense of purpose that the country deserves, in order to avoid further escalation in political confrontation that could lead to violence,” she said.
The country's political and economic crisis has driven more than 4.5 million Venezuelans to migrate from the once-wealthy South American nation, escaping soaring inflation, scarcity of basic goods and unreliable services, such as lights and water.
Guaidó initially garnered wide support with massive crowds across the country after he declared himself interim president last year, but crowds have thinned in recent months.
Tuesday was the first time Guaidó has called for demonstrations since returning from his international tour.