RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian government denied involvement in an attack on a military outpost in southern Venezuela, near the border with Brazil.
According to local authorities, in the action that took place on Sunday, December 22nd, a military officer was killed and six people were arrested. Weapons were said to have been stolen in the attack.
On Twitter, Venezuelan Communications Minister Jorge Rodríguez accused the Brazilian government of assisting the training of the attackers.
“These criminals were trained in fully identified paramilitary camps in Colombia and received the collaboration of the government of Jair Bolsonaro,” Rodríguez said on social media.
Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Relations refuted the Venezuelan minister’s accusations. “Brazil denies any involvement in the incident,” he said in a statement.
Vladimir Padrino, Venezuela’s defense minister, said the attack was orchestrated by “extremist opposition sectors”.
The region of the attack, the territory of the Pemón Indians, has been the stage of constant conflicts since 2016, due to the dispute for gold exploration.
Source: Agência Brasil