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The administration of the U.S President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to divert more than $40m in humanitarian aid for Central America in order to support the US-backed opposition in Venezuela. The source has indicated that the Los Angeles Times suggested the $41.9m had been intended for Guatemala and Honduras. These countries are at the center of a migration crisis in which thousands of people have fled due to poverty, violence, and corruption. They attempted to cross the southern border of the United States. The supposed money will be used for salaries, airfare, propaganda, technical assistance for elections, and good governance training for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Guaido entreated the Venezuelan constitution in January to assume an interim presidency, arguing the President of South American country Nicolas Maduro was illegitimate. He led failed attempt 4-months later to spark a military rebellion against Maduro, who said it was part of a US-orchestrated coup. The Venezuelan President has called Guaido a U.S-backed puppet and has so far retained his grip on the levers of government. Some sources have indicated that Guaido has subsequently been arrested. His parliamentary immunity has been lifted and he has so far not been jailed. The leadership of Maduro has destroyed the country’s economy and generated widespread shortages of food and medicines.

It is noteworthy that fuel has also become scarce in parts of the oil-rich country and some drivers have queued for days at petrol stations. The country has been experiencing frequent blackouts. Maduro’s government has blamed U.S sanctions for the current shortages. The opposition had argued they are the result of mismanagement and corruption by consecutive socialist governments. The United Nations agencies said in April that more than 4 million Venezuelans had fled the country. It was also said that the pace of people fleeing had skyrocketed since the end of 2015. In June, the U.S State Department announced it was slashing hundreds of millions of U.S dollars of aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.