News / Venezuela

One killed in Venezuela looting, food riots

Wednesday, 15 June 2016 7:00 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 16 June 2016 3:06 AM ]

A man shouts during a protest over food shortage and against Venezuela's government in Caracas, Venezuela June 14, 2016. © Reuters

A man has been shot dead during looting and food riots in crisis-hit Venezuela, an opposition lawmaker says, bringing to at least four the number of fatalities from this month's wave of unrest.

Milagros Paz said that 27 others were injured during a day of chaos and violence in the eastern town of Cumana on Tuesday.

“It was all very confusing. There were simultaneous lootings in different parts of Cumana. They looted more than 100 establishments,” she said, basing her information on contacts with constituents.

There was no confirmation from President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Videos and photos on social media showed crowds demanding food, with security forces struggling to keep order.

Three other people were shot dead in the past week. A policeman and a soldier have been arrested.

Food riots and violent looting have become a daily occurrence across scarcity-struck Venezuela.

Protests and melees at shops have been spreading around the recession-hit oil-producing nation in recent weeks, fueled by shortages of basic foods.

According to a local monitoring group, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, more than 10 incidents of looting are occurring daily across the nation of 30 million people.

People gather to try to buy pasta while riot police try to control the crowd outside a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela, June 10, 2016. © Reuters

Venezuela's political opposition blames Maduro for the protests, looting and violent crimes that have been mounting in the country.

However, Maduro says his foes are waging an “economic war” against him and seeking a coup.

On Monday, the government asked the Supreme Court to reject the opposition's proposal to hold a referendum to remove Maduro from office, accusing the leaders of the recall referendum movement of fraud.

Venezuela’s right-wing opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), is racing to call a referendum by the end of the year.

To fulfill the requirements of the process, it has submitted a petition with 1.8 million signatures to the National Electoral Council (CNE). The electoral commission, however, announced on Friday that more than 600,000 signatures are invalid.

Maduro also ruled out the possibility of holding a referendum anytime sooner than 2017. He said, “If the recall referendum’s requirements are met, it will be next year, and that’s it.”

Since 2014, Venezuela has been grappling with protests against Maduro who is under fire by his critics, most notably the opposition, amid shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity.

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