Gunfire from across the Venezuelan border at a Guyanese patrol escorting election officials on Sunday raises questions about Nicolas Maduro’s interest in the elections and reignites concerns raised by members of the US Congress that presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed is a “puppet” of Maduro.
The Joint Services said a team of Guyana Defence Force soldiers and police officers was escorting nine Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials and ballot boxes along the Upper Cuyuni River near Bamboo, Region 7, when they came under fire at about 14:30 hours. Troops returned fire and manoeuvred the convoy to safety. No one was injured, and no election materials were damaged.
Venezuela’s Maduro had long made claim to the Essequibo region, and questions have been raised about connections with the Mohameds.
A video released last Friday surfaced last Friday showed prominent businessman Nazar “Shell” Mohamed leaving the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown, reigniting controversy over his ties with Venezuela. Nazar is Azruddin’s father and appeared on the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) elections rally stage on Saturday night.
When reports of such visits first emerged, the Mohameds, sanctioned by the United States Government, flatly denied them, with Mohamed even daring Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo to produce proof.
Now, in the wake of recent tweets by U.S. Congressmen and Washington’s broader confrontation with narco-traffickers linked to Venezuela, questions are intensifying over the true purpose of Mohamed’s embassy visit.
In June, U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez described Guyanese businessman Azruddin Mohamed – sanctioned by Washington and accused of ties to Maduro – as a “pro-Maduro puppet,” urging vigilance against attempts to undermine Guyana’s democracy. Other U.S. lawmakers and diplomats have cautioned that the presence of sanctioned individuals in parliament could damage bilateral relations and destabilize Guyana’s financial system.
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