our big story tonight is in Venezuela
where there has been a huge effort to
get much needed humanitarian aid into
that country but president Nicolas
Maduro he's blocking the borders and
that aid being met with a lot of
resistance right now we have live team
coverage from both sides of Venezuela's
borders Louie Aguirre is in cucuta
Colombia Kody Weddell though is on the
Venezuelan side of the border in San
Antonio Delta Chi de Louie we begin with
you Andrew so a day is turned in tonight
the Sun has set and I don't know if you
can hear behind me the sounds of the
teargas canisters and fireworks
continuing to be deployed even at this
hour we have seen some violent clashes
throughout the day interestingly enough
Venezuelan against Venezuelan
Venezuelans trying to get badly needed
aid into their country and Venezuelans
on the other side who are loyal to
Maduro who are doing everything in their
power to make sure that Aid does not
cross the border this has been
impressive and historic in so many ways
as the effort continues and these
Venezuelans here remain undeterred
funnily enough things began peacefully
this morning as dozens of Venezuela's
try to talk to and reason with the
police that are keeping guard right
there on the other side of the border
that it fell on deaf ears things got
heated when the convoy of humanitarian
aid arrived here on the Colombian side
of the border surrounded by hundreds of
Venezuelans who were determined to bring
that aid across to the other side and
that's when things turned violent
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we were there on the front line as
police deployed tear gas canisters into
the crowd centering hundreds of people
running back towards Colombia but they
were undeterred they came back time and
time again determined across the border
with that aid each time those clashes
became more and more intense more tear
gas than rocks being thrown by both
sides the armed civilians loyal to the
Malouda the colectivos joined the fight
and became very very aggressive in the
midst of this we also witnessed two
Venezuelan police officers laid down
their shields and defect to Colombia you
can see in this video the crowd here
erupting in tears as those police
officers were escorted across the border
this is the biggest rebellion Venezuela
has seen in almost 20 years
right now the number I'm hearing
according to Colombia immigration is
atyminius 23 members of my Bhutto's
military and police force have crossed
over into the Colombian side seeking
political asylum and that's just today
and we imagine that number could it grow
by the end of the evening and as you can
see that the Venezuelans on this side
they are not backing down I just want to
cry I can't believe this I can't believe
it you know Venezuela against Venezuela
I can't believe it I just want Venezuela
to be free again where the people can be
free where people have food to eat
medications when the people are dying
and people have to search for food in
the garbage and that's not fair do you
feel you can do for your people right
now being here how does that help just
being here being one more that's saying
and a pizza now it's all or nothing all
these people live in here they got
nothing to lose
they got all to lose and they are less
than us is by seeing who gets tired
first
and they are not gonna stop they haven't
stopped these confrontations continue to
play out there are still hundreds of
Venezuelans here with me on the
Colombian side of this border hoping to
penetrate that Venezuelan side of the
border at some point this evening if not
tomorrow morning they will continue
until they do the colectivos are getting
more bold throwing more rocks more
teargas canisters into the crowd on the
Colombian side a clear violation of
Colombia sovereignty and just moments
ago we witness Colombia's response as
several troops arrived from the
Colombian Army
so far no clashes with them but we have
witnessed two bloodied colectivos being
taken into custody no doubt caught in
the act of trying to cause some type of
violence on the Colombian side so again
these clashes continue to play out we're
still here with hundreds of it as well
and still hopeful that that aid which is
no longer here by the way those trucks
with that aid have moved a deeper into
Colombia but they are hoping that that
that aid will penetrate this border if
not tonight then tomorrow but they stand
resolved to stay here until it does for
now reporting live from cúcuta Colombia
Louie Aguirre local 10 News movie that's
what I was going to ask you is there any
kind of idea local saying how long they
plan to be there at the standoff at that
border specifically trying to get aid
through you know at this point Andrew
they say they will be here as long as it
takes and I've witnessed I've witnessed
these guys which also come with that
help of evil indirect amiami momento por
favor
o momento course I would I've witnessed
these guys go time and time again and go
up to the border clash with police clash
with the colectivos being bloodied be
pelted with rocks teargas canisters
thrown at them they regain their
composure they catch their breath they
wipe their face and they go back they
are not going anywhere at least not
tonight they will be here through the
night esto
they're asking for the Colombian
military to intervene at this point as I
said earlier Colombia sovereignty has
been compromised with those tear gas
canisters and those rocks being thrown
now here on to the Colombian side so
things are getting very very heated
things are escalating very quickly back
with you as the night progresses you so
much lets me out move over to Kody
Weddell who is live at the Venezuelan
border she's standing by with this
report Kody and this here on this side
of the border this is a city on edge we
have seen continually for the past few
hours we are seeing masked men driving
by here they are heavily armed they have
black ski masks on we believe they are
for the fievel's which are paramilitary
we're also seeing National Guard going
up and down the street we expect the
city tonight to be a ghost town we also
saw those clashes here on this side of
the border today but those protesters
over here didn't have anywhere to escape
as a caravan of protesters approaches
one of the bridges heading towards
Colombia Venezuela the guard responding
by shooting tear gas the crowd sent
scrambling The Dictator prefers to shoot
tear gas before allowing food to arrive
to those who most need it
these protesters urging the armed forces
to open up the border and allow the
entry of humanitarian aid as you can see
there is a line of National Guard troops
behind me here and this crowd has
gathered chanting at those soldiers
urging them to join their fight and
another border crossing several miles
away tear gas also deployed protesters
responding by throwing rocks but many
here were also just attempting to cross
over to Colombia to buy food and go to
work they've already started attacking
people like normal I was just going to
work meanwhile on the other bridge
called tan Dita's where Maduro held a
concert last night pro-government
supporters camping out holding meetings
discussing how to respond if Juan why
though at
attempts to cross over here with those
dozens of trucks of humanitarian aid and
very important tonight nicolas maduro to
a breaking diplomatic relations with
Colombia and I see Colombian foreign
ministry is saying Maduro is responsible
for colombian different diplomatic staff
in this in Venezuela also we're learning
that there are clashes on the border
with Brazil as well at least two deaths
reported there reporting from San
Antonio the touchid I'm pretty what
about you got incredible images Kody
stay safe meanwhile in Caracas two
parallel protests took over the capital
one supporting Nicolas Maduro and one
against him
thousands of Maduro supporters marched
downtown to protest what some believe is
the United States invasion they're
calling for the protection of the
nation's borders the red clad crowds
displayed several banners with anti-us
sentiments urging the country's armed
forces to stay with Maduro the peace
with national dignity yes because we are
battling for Venezuela's dignity before
those who want to make our country kneel
to the North American Empire so while
all of this was going on interim
president Hwang why those demonstrators
also marched through the capital
converging at Caracas military base to
urge soldiers to join the opposition's
fight