(UTV|COLOMBO) – Deadly clashes broke out in Venezuelan border towns on Saturday, as President Nicolás Maduro blocked humanitarian aid from crossing from Colombia and Brazil.
Troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who attempted to collect and transport the supplies.
A number of people were shot with live ammunition, human rights groups say. At least two people were killed.
The opposition wants the aid to go to people hit by the economic crisis, but Mr Maduro sees it as a security threat.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the attacks on civilians, which he blamed on “Maduro’s thugs”.
“Our deepest sympathies to the families of those who have died due to these criminal acts. We join their demand for justice,” he said in a tweet following the clashes.
Mr Pompeo also described the burning of some of the aid as “sickening”.