Venezuela’s Guaido says troops have joined him in 'final phase' of ending Maduro presidency

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has claimed to have begun the “final phase” of his plan to oust Nicolas Maduro, calling on the public and the military to back him to end the president’s “usurpation.”In a video posted on his Twitter account, Mr Guaido was seen surrounded by armed men in military uniform as he declared: "The moment is now."He added: "The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people."A Reuters journalist later saw Mr Guaido near the La Carlota air force base in Caracas, surrounded by a group of men in uniform. Opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who has been under house arrest since 2014, also appeared in the video and said he had been freed by the military.Venezuelan information minister Jorge Rodriguez tweeted that the government was confronting a small group of "military traitors" seeking to promote a coup.In January Mr Guaido, the leader of Venezuela‘s opposition-controlled National Assembly invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.He has been travelling outside the capital, Caracas, more and more in recent weeks to try to put pressure on Mr Maduro to step down.Protests are planned for Wednesday, including what Mr Guaido has said will be “the largest march in Venezuela‘s history” and part of what he calls the “definitive phase” of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.Mr Maduro has accused Mr Guaido of being a US-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested Mr Guaido’s top aide, stripped him of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Mr Guaido openly violated earlier this year.Last week, the opposition leader said his congressional ally Gilber Caro had been detained and 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.

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