Blackouts in Venezuela Lead to More Protest - Sam Glodoski

Protests against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro have intensified since a national blackout out which has been ongoing since  March 7th. The black out, which is the cause of Venezuela's main hydroelectric generator failing, has led to power failures across the country. As a result, people's refrigerated food has perished, causing many to go hungry, and power outages at hospitals has led to multiple preventable deaths. Despite an order banning protests in the capital's core, outraged Venezuelans have gathered in ever-increasing numbers to show disapproval of the Mauro and his government. However, despite the high emotional tension and shared hunger, Protests have remained mostly peaceful, with opposition leader and self-declared President Juan Guaido advocating for a nonviolent display. Meanwhile, Maduro continues to claim the power outage is the result of U.S. sabotage to advance its plan to take advantage of Venezuela's national resources. Critics note that outage is far more likely a result of poor maintenance of the generator. Unfortunately, power is not estimated to return to the nation for another few days, leaving the Venezuelan people with ever-worsening conditions

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/world/americas/venezuela-power-protests.html

-Sam Glodoski