Colombian rebels arent terrorists says chavez

Colombian rebels arent terrorists says chavez

FIGHTING FOR LIBERIA, LIBERIA

By David Chater

23 January, 2008 (Reuters) – The United Nations has said the death toll from unrest in the former Colombian republic of Venezuela rose from 23 last week to 31 on Tuesday, adding that the country is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis. The toll is likely to have been higher because victims of last week’s violence have not been formally identified and the police report of their deaths is due within 24 hours, the United Nations said in a statement.

The UN and aid organizations said the toll included 11 people killed during street protests over an electricity company’s plans to cut the power supply. Two people had been killed since Tuesday.

There were earlier reports that the death toll had reached 30. State television announced at 11:45 a.m. in Bogota that there was still an 11-percent chance of a fresh toll of more than 30 in what it said was an official count of 21 people having died.

The crisis be007 카지노gan on Oct. 19, with opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and his vice president, Leopoldo Lopez Varela, overthrown and replaced with a leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro. In an attempt to put a stop to the chaos, the army has fired bac광주출장안마k at Lopez supporters who have fired guns at police and state troopers, and authorities have detained and interrogated people suspected of aiding the opposition.

At least 1,750 people are estimated to have died so far, according to the UN. A UN aid official said Venezuela’s army, which has also fired, arrested and detained more than 100 of its supporters.

The opposition leader, who was elected president on Jan. 19, has not commented.

According to t평택안마he statement released after midnight on Tuesday, authorities believe the most recent “extrajudicial killings” were carried out by loyalists to Maduro’s regime. There were also reports last week that soldiers, state security forces and armed opposition groups killed 11 police officers in Caracas and that armed opposition forces shot and wounded some 30 members of their own paramilitary.

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on Thursday called for a “transparent, balanced” assessment of the situation in Venezuela and the possibility of a broader humanitarian crisis arising from continuing political violence.

“If there is a political solution it must be implemented,” Ban said at a news conference in New York.

Violence erupted on Nov. 1, when more than 40 peopl