Deadly clashes broke out in Venezuela’s border towns on Saturday as trucks loaded with humanitarian aid tried to cross over from Brazil and Colombia.
The EU decried “irregular armed groups” allegedly used by acting President Nicolas Maduro to intimidate activists trying to distribute aid.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered” after deadly clashes over humanitarian aid.
“Picking exact days is difficult. I’m confident that the Venezuelan people will ensure that Maduro’s days are numbered,” Mr Pompeo told CNN.
Two people died in Saturday’s clashes between civilians and troops loyal to Mr Maduro, who blocked aid deliveries.
Self-declared interim President Juan Guaidó said Mr Maduro must resign.
14 trucks carrying 280 tons of emergency supplies headed to different border bridges separating Colombia from Venezuela’s Tachira region on Saturday to fulfil Guaido’s promise to bring aid into the crisis-ravaged country.
Opposition supporters attempting to unload trucks and remove barriers on the Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Paula Santander bridges came under tear gas attack, as security forces carried out orders to uphold acting President Nicolas Maduro’s border blockade.
Colombian authorities said around 285 people were injured in clashes, while at least two trucks were set on fire.
Mr Guaidó also called on other nations to consider “all measures” to oust Mr Maduro after opposition-led efforts to bring in aid descended into clashes.
Mr Guaidó said he would attend a meeting of mostly Latin American countries in Colombia on Monday, despite being under a travel ban imposed by Mr Maduro. US Vice-President Mike Pence will represent Washington at the talks in Bogota.
Also on Saturday, more than 60 members of Venezuela’s security forces — National Guard troops and police officers — deserted their posts during the clashes and crossed the border into Colombia, according to Colombian officials.
The humanitarian aid stockpiled in Colombia and Brazil is at the centre of a stand-off between Mr Maduro and Mr Guaidó that goes back to Mr Maduro’s disputed re-election in 2018.
For several years Venezuela has been in the grip of a political and economic crisis.
An out-of-control inflation rate has seen prices soar, leaving many Venezuelans struggling to afford basic items.
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