Guaido hails entry of aid into Venezuela

Opposition leader and self-proclaimed President Juan Guaido hailed the entry of aid into Venezuela, outlining the people's rejection of embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

"They said that we were not going to reach the border: we all arrived and the People came to receive the help. They said that the aid was not going to enter: the trucks cross the country. They said they had the People: they are alone and dozens of soldiers have abandoned them. The People are clear," Guaido tweeted in Spanish on February 23 (local time).

This comes after violence raged in the border towns of Urena and Gran Sabana over the entry of aid between the Venezuelan military and protesters who wanted the passage of aid into the Latin American nation.

Maduro had blocked all international aid into the country, rejecting claims of a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. In fact, he claims that the United States is sending aid into the country in a bid to overthrow his government in an alleged coup attempt.

He also severed ties with Colombia on Saturday, giving its diplomats 24 hours to leave the nation.

"My patience has run out. I can't continue to tolerate the aggressions against Venezuela that are being carried out by the Colombian government," CNN quoted Maduro as saying.

Meanwhile, around 23 members of Venezuela's armed forces sought help from Colombian immigration authorities after abandoning their posts at the Simon Bolivar International Bridge at the Venezuela-Colombia border on Saturday.

Guaido also brought attention to the destruction of aid by the "usurping regime" and stated, "We continue to receive the support of the international community, which has seen, with its own eyes, how the usurping regime violates the Geneva Protocol, where it is clearly stated that destroying humanitarian aid is a crime against humanity," in Spanish on Saturday.