brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, violence in venezuela. military vehicles plowing into protesters. who controls the army? who controls the country? in a dw news exclusive, self-declared president juan guaido says the army and the people support his bid to oust embattled president nicolas maduro. national guard defectors are joining the protesters and the united states says they back the uprising. with that, political lines are being drawn. russia and china back president maduro.

maduro maintains that no army chiefs have turned against him. on the streets, images of an army against the people. maduro's government standing by its claim that what we are witnessing is an attempted coup is being defeated. "dw news" starts right now. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. we begin tonight in venezuela where violent clashes continue on the streets of the capital caracas. it erupted earlier after venezuela's opposition leader, self-declared president juan guaido urged the army to help him topple nicolas maduro. this footage shows an armored government vehicle plowing into a crowd of demonstrators outside a military base in the city.

the protesters were answering guaido's call to take to the streets to oust president maduro. guaido said earlier that he has sesecured backining of military leaders but maduro has vowed t o stop what he is calling a military coup, saying he has the total loyalty of his military commanders. in our interview with juan guaido, dw asked him how he justifies his call for an uprising against the government of venezuela. juan guaido: it is clear that they are the ones who have you served government powers. they have carried on a continuous coup since 2018. they have disregarded the rule of law. they have discarded the constitution. they failed to hold free and fair elections when they seized power. today the armed forces have taken an important step by siding with the people. our process, and we have always said that, is peaceful and

nonviolent and we are not going to change that. the ones who have caused violence to the armed military forces are the regime. we all maintain a nonviolent stance, as demonstrated by the venezuelan people when they took to the streets to protest. brent: that was juan guaido speaking with us earlier this evening. for more on the situation i am joined by our latin america correspondent monitoring events from colombia. good evening to you, javier. we have heard juan guaido urging venezuelan troops to unite maduro maduro against -- against maduro. is it possible to say how much support within the military guaido really as -- has? javier: that's the most pressing question. it has been ever since juan guaido declared himself interim president. it remains unanswered. in general we could say the

lower ranking officials of the military tend to support juan guaido of course because they are the ones who have to do with the consequences of a failed economy with power outages, food shortages, whereas the higher ranking officials tend to side with nicolas maduro because they are closely connected to the president and have access to resources that the other members of the military do not have. and that is why what makes this protest differentnt from the o s weave e seen beforore p perhapss the call by juan guaido to ask people to claim and to go to the military and ask them to support juan guaido. that is the urge that we are seeing today, you have the mililitary support g guaido? will it be enough?h? that is the question. it is very difficult as long as the military elite sides with nicolas maduro. brent: we are getting lots of conflicting reports this evening, javier. we are heariring from the u.s. envoy saying that top venezuelan officials have negotiated to

help restore order in the country, meaning that the opposition and maduro government officials had been working together, negotiating together. that is the first we have heard of that. what about the riots we have been seeing, the violence on the streets? does that look to be continuing into the evening? javier: it is very likely that will continue towards the evening because as long as juan guaido keeps calling his people to actually go on the streets and demand the military source -- forces to side with him we will probably continue to see venezuelans on the streets. let's not forget we have seen protests like these many times before in recent years in venezuela. i dare to say that the reaction by the government has even been a little bit more moderate than in other years where we would see hundreds of deaths in a day like this. that is ultimately because nicolas maduro knows that international pressure has mounted.

that is one of the achievements of juan guaido, who knows that the world is watching venezuela and will take very, very great care in following up with the consequences if nicolas maduro suppresses these violently. brent: we have events happening every minute now. we are getting a report that the venezuelan opposition figure, leopoldo lopez, who was freed earlier today, is now seeking asylum in the chilean embassy. i don't know if you have seen that report, javier, but that would seem to suggest that you have a main opposition figure here who does not think that it is safe to stay in the country. he needs asylum somewhere else. how do you see that? javier: well it is important to remember that he wawas violently arrested in his house.

that was the first we heard this morning when t this movement frm juan guaido actually began. lopez is a highly symbolic figure of the venezuelan opposition. he himself was once the most important phase of the venezuelan opposition, the juan guaido, if you will, of 2014, and was arrested by the maduro government. so he is definitely seeking shelter in the chilean embassy because he knows of what significance he is as a figure and he is trying to protect not only himself but also his family. the chilean embassy has confirmed they are under the safe haven of the chilean embassy. brent: earlier today we heard from juan guaido thahat he was starting the final phase of his plan to oust president nicolas maduro. but every hour is important in an event like this. do you get the impression that the momentum that it seemed that he enjoyed earlier in the day,

has that been eroded as we approach the evening? what is your sense? javier: again, we have conflicting reports and it is very difficult to tell what is actually going on in the venezuelan streets. but, at least from what appears to be, we could say the m movemt is not as powerful or as big as you would expect from a day that will change the history of venezuela forever. the government of nicolas maduro has dismissed these movements as isolated events that are under full control of the government. so we do not know what is planned ahead. let's not forget that juan guaido had announced these massive protests tomorrow on may 1 and not today. it took many by surprise, and that might be a decisive factor in the support he can get right now. brent: what will happen then tomorrow? wowould you agree that juan guao has really crossed a line with the events that we have seen today? i mean, there is no going back.

it seems either he has a successful uprising, or his time as opposition leader may be numbered. do you think that is where we are headed right now? javier: well, let's put it this way. the chances of an opposition leader in venezuela to come and go are quite high. we have seen it before. but there is one particular important elemement which is the internatational commumunity. especially wititthe suppoport of the likikes of the united states or even colombia herere, the neighboring couountry, are with juan guaido. that is perhaps the most importrtant difference. nicolas maduro knows that and hahas therefore e been very car. if juauan guaido had important achievements like even leading -- leaving the country and returning. he has shown he has enough support to achieve things know opposition leader has achieved before. the question -- and i have to repeat it again -- will be in

the hahands of the m military. if the military tonight by some way or another declcles it is with juan aiaido, , in the most important aspect, which is the elite ones leading the militita, then w we willl see a change probably in the situation venezuela. if not, juan guaido could become one more of the list of the listed leaders who have come and gone. brent: before we let you go, if it is true maduro says he still has control of the military and loyalty remains. if that is the case, why is he not having juan guaido arrested today? why is he still allowing juan guaido to be a free man if maduro is in controlols he claims to be? javier: well, it is the same reason why he allowed juan guaido to come and leave from venezuela eveven thoughe e had a travel b b. it is because he knows juan guaido is beieing protecteded be teternational community and hee hahas to be very carereful becae if the iidenent that h happened

today y leads to an ininternatil accusasation of crimimes again humanity, that wouould justify other types of actions, including mimilitary actioion. that is something nicolas maduro should be afafraid of, espececiy considering that the u.s. and colombmb with its powerful army areacking jn guaiai. th is why e level suppssssions morereoderate ththanhat we have seen th other opposition aders an protes before. brent: jier argdas in bogota tonight with the latest on the situation in venezuela. javier, thank you. it has been around 100 days since opposition leader juan guaido declared himself venezuela's acting president. the u.s. and several other countries are backing his leadership, but the actual president, nicolas maduro, continues to enjoy the support of the military, which he claims of the case, and much of venezuela's bureaucracy. so what exactly has guaido accomplished in the e last three months??

>> i swear t to formally assssue the national executive powers as acting president of venezuzuela. reporter: with those words, juan guaido thrust himself into the center of venezuela's political spotlight, pressuring much of the international community to pick sides. guaido or maduro.. the 35-year-olold leader of the country's national assembly said maduro's election in 2018 was illegitimate and called for a fresh vote. it was a demand maduro ignored despite pressure from the eu, the u.s., and some south american countries that recognize guaido's authority. less than a month after guaido's announcement, the u.s. and its allies sought to send aid into the country.

maduro warned the u.s. to stay out of venezuelan affairs. several aid trucks were burned. though who exactly started the fire is still debated. guaido gained supporters inside venezuela by promising to lead his country out of the grips of hyperinflation. but he still relied on support from the u.s. and from venezuela's neighbors. he briefly traveled to several of them on a diplomatic tour, raising concerns that he could be arrested upon his return to caracas. but he was able to re-enter the country as a free man, thanks in part to foreign diplomats who met him at the airport. despite his diplomatic push, he has failed to gain the support of the constituent assembly. a branch of the legislature controlled by maduro's socialist party. they recently voted to strip guaido of parliamentary immunity which could pave the way for his arrest. guaido has long called on the military to turn against maduro and support his cause. now the question is how many of them are ready to heed his call. brent: for more now i'm joined

here at the big table with a researcher from latin america. i want to ask you about these reports we are getting from the u.s. envoy to venezuela, elliott abrams, saying that three senior officials from president nicolas maduro's government have negotiated with the opposition to restore order in the country. is that a signal that things are turning in juan guaido's favor? guest: actually what we have seen since juan guaido was declared president in charge of venezuela is that he was seeking military support to reinstitute the constitution. until now he had been failing at this task. so what happened today is actually a very big surprise because he was kind of losing popular support because people

were getting exhausted about demonstrations in the seat with little results. today was a big surprise. the man number three in chain of command appeared with juan guaido in a military base in caracas. brent: and that was the first time we had seen that? guest: yes. previous military that said they were with guaido were either out of venezuela or low ranking who fled to colombia. brent: if that is true that there there has been some defecting going on, but we still do not have proof to say that the military has completely turned against nicolas maduro. guest: no. the situation in venezuela is quite confused because there is a lot of media blockage. it is not clear what is really happening now. it could be that the situation is what the government is saying, that they had things are under control. we have heard reports about

lopez going to the embassy, the constitute -- the consulate of chile. brent: we got that report from asylum. guest: it does not seem like a good sign. but on the other hand there has been news of some kind of -- i think we still have to wait. brent: what about geopolitics in all of this? the united states and russia are very clear who they support and they are supporting opposing signs, if you will. how much influence does that half on what we are witnessing right now? alejandro: of course the main geopolitical reason why venezuela matters is its oil reserves. until now the maduro government has relied on russian and chinese investment in oil fields. however, the u.s. also has investments in oil fields still. brent: but oil is not the reason

that venezuela is important geopolitically, is it? alejandro: that is what the maduro government always tells its followers, that the u.s. wants to claim venezuela as a colony because they have the largest oil reserves in the world. that has always been a part of it. it is also a country that is strategically located in the north of south america which is a region that is really active on drug trade issues. there are other factors apart from oil but oil is a major reason. brent: what about the role of the european union i in this? there was a report that the european union now saying we want the utmost moderation in this. keep calm. other than that we have not heard much from the eu. can the eu do anything right now? alejandro: the information i have heard mostly from the german government is that they

are basically interested in the fate of the people. they are very much pushing forward to try to first have some type of solution to the humanitarian crisis the country faces, and this has been the main strtruggle of guaido in the first days of this movement that finally got maduro to accept someme kindd of emitttted hearid coming into the couryry. the eu played an important role there. that is the strategic point they are touching. first deal with the humanitarian crisis. brent: but they have taken sides, politically. europe has come out on the side of juan guaido. so why be silent about that today? juan guaido is the man who earlier today said this was the final phase of a political uprising. alejandro: yes of course they have supported guaido, but as we know, foreign politics means

supporting many countries. i think there consulting about a common statement. just as they have done in the un security council. brent: the fate of juan guaido, is his fate in the hands of the opposition, or is it in the hands of the united states tonight? alejandro: well, it is a combination. you need several ingredients to have guaido still being a free man tomorrow. you have to have internal support from the people, which he has. you have to have international support, which he has from the major countries which usually are related to venezuela except for russia and china, who are not close allies of venezuela until now. and of course you need the army to make the constitution have some type of reality. so, i would say that is the key,

the military. according to history, military, whenever they intervene to try and topple regimes, this tends to happen quickly and venezuela. this tends to last no longer than a week. some are bloody and some are less bloody. brent: before we let you go, do you expect a transition of power to take place this week in venezuela? alejandro: i am not sure if there will be a transition of power. but what i think based on similar episodes in venezuela is that whatever happens, either guaido or maduro prevails. brent: alejandro marquez velazquez, we appreciate your analysis and insight tonight. in our dw exclusive interview today, we asked juan guaido how much backing he really has from venezuela's military. here is what he had to say.

juan guaido: there are some key elements in this process and they are that the armed forces are not with nicolas maduro. they are for change and as such they are with the people and the constitution. venezuela is in a state of occupation. of course there has been a lot of persecution within the armed forces, , even some carried d oy the cuban intelligence and other intelligence services, but it is clear that not only the people of the majority of the people and not only the international community do not support nicolas maduro, but also the armed forces of our country. brent: my colleague carl nasman has been following events in venezuela online. what are you seeing? carl: right now there is one image, one video resignation -- resonating with a lot of people. they have been tracking the events in venezuela. it is really shocking in its brutality against pro-guaido protesters. we have seen this image already tonight, these are pro-government military tanks. you can see essentially driving into a crowd of protesters, intentionally aiming for them. we know at least one protester

was seriously injured there in the crowd. this was outside the airbase where juan guaido made that announcement earlier this morning. it really is shocking footage. and brent, we saw a lot of brutality during uprisings and protests earlier, two or three years ago. it is shocking to see that now since because guaido has taken the streets we have seen a lot more peaceful response from the government. brent: that image right there has gotten a lot of response from people. reminds them of tiananmen square in china, too. do we know based on what we are seeing on social media how much support there is on the streets for this military uprising? carl: we have seen the footage. we have seen protesters and supporters from both sides out there. the question now is how much support does guaido from the military itself, because that could be the key question. with videos like these it is interesting to see how much you see the soldiers in the streets and what they are saying. these are soldiers calling to residents saying do not be

afraid, that quote, freedom has come. another video here which apparently shows a group of defected soldiers no longer with maduro, they are now with guaido. you can see them actually wearing bandannas over their face, so clearly they are trying to protect their identity. it is difficult to tell how much support, but there certainly is support in these neighborhoods. there are a lot of soldiers out on guaido's side and people seemingly welcoming them. brent: it is hard to get facts and numbers from the ground. talk to me a little bit about the difficulties that people are having just communicating right now. carl: of course social media is so big in terms of communicating. a lot of people use whatsapp, that is down right now. twitter, very big in venezuela, also being throttled. youtube as w well. this i is seemingly y a tactic y mamaduro. we have seen the i internet susuddenly gdownwn whenever r go is speakining. that is happening again today. in fact, take a look. this is the moment when cnn goes down in vevenezuelela. yoyou saw the footage of thatt tank. that was when the channel was cut off. bbc down as well.

so, information, hard to come by. brent: it is. carl nasman, as always, thank you very much. a very fluid situation. here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world. israeli premise or benjamin netanyahu has been sworn into the country's parliament. he will now try to form a governing coalition after his likud party and right-wing allies won a slim majority earlier this month. if he succeeds he will begin his fourth consecutive term as prime minister. frenench authorities announced a tight security measures ahead of tomorrow's planned may day protests in paris. they are worried about potential riots if radical activists join yellow vests protesters on the streets. the city is trying to avoid a repeat of last year's unrest, when over 1000 rioters vandalized businesses and clashed with police. sri lanka's president has lifted a nationwide social media ban

imposed after the easter sundayy suicide bombing, which killed more than 250 people. popular sites like facebook, whatsapp, youtube, have all been blocked. the government says the restrictions were necessary to curb the spread of misinformation. continuous rain in northern mozambique are hampering attempt to deliver aid to areas devastated by cyclone kenneth. aid agencies were able to fly a shipment of much-needed food into survivors stranded on a badly hit island todayay but the weather grounded most planned deliveries. authorities have urged affected residents to move to higher ground, warning of a continued risk of flooding. cyclone kenneth has destroyed many lives, roads and homes. an estimated 35,000 of them. here now are some of the people worst affected as they try to rescueue what is left of their

lives. >> my name is antonio manwell. the rain started after 1:00 in the morning. just after 5:00, my house collapsed. reporter: antonio is among thousands to be left homeless by the fiercest storm to ever hit africa. he and his family fled in the chaos of kenneth. they at least have a home to return to, albeit flooded out. >> the wind was very strong and the trees started falling down. that was before it started raining. reporter: then the heavens opened and pots and pans were futile. >> i saw there was just too much water inside here. i said o my wife, we have to stanand up and take the baby

outstside. rereporterer: aftfter survival s the salvage operatition. tina is drying to save what --trtrying to say whwhatever she cacan. >> thingss startrted falling onp of me. i statarted to ruru leaving thee door open. i went outside and houses started falling one by one. everything was falling. well built houses, too. we ran out so things would not fall on us,s, especially the children. to rebuild this home we will have to demolish it and start again with a new house. brent: after a short break i'll be back to take you through "the day." stick around for that. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

.. yeah but it is one to live in paris will usese an analysis frm from cycad i'm n not going these are the main world news headlines. violence on the streets in venezuelela majuro side says its putting d down a coup d'etat why don't you spoke. backed by men in uniform click the military to rise up and oust the current leadad up. the us national s security advdr johnhn bolton coles the peaeacel transition won't all optioions e on t the table he contetends tht year ass a technocrat. splendid riches of venezuela. in japan the emperor s stands dn after he does the firirst apapplicatation two hundrdred y. fifty nine year old son is taking over as head of the oldest