Lima, Peru, Apr 26, 2020 / 05:18 am
An archbishop in Venezuela warned that desperation is growing in the country, as the national coronavirus quarantine measures have compounded a tenuous political and economic situation. He urged people in the country to resist violence and social unrest.
Extreme hunger "does not reason or know rules," said Archbishop Ulises Gutiérrez of Ciudad Bolívar, adding that this desperate hunger "is becoming a fuel more dangerous than gasoline."
Gutiérrez spoke with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language news partner, in an April 23 interview, after looting and protests broke out in seven states in Venezuela.
Protestors objected to price hikes on food and a gasoline shortage exacerbated by the ongoing quarantine that was imposed last month to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the latest government report, there have been 298 cases and 10 deaths in the country due to the virus.