US To Withdraw Remaining Diplomatic Personnel From Venezuela.

• US State Department first withdrew all dependents in January and reduced embassy staff to a minimum
• Said its decision this week ‘reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, as well as the conclusion that the presence of US diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on US policy’
• It did not specify what exact day the personnel would be withdrawn from the embassy in capital Caracas
• Venezuelans started looting supermarkets in Caracas on Sunday, as power outages reached their fourth day
• At least 15 patients with kidney disease died after dialysis machines stopped working during power outage

The United States is withdrawing all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela this week amid nearly week-long blackouts around the country, the US State Department has announced.

It follows a January decision to withdraw all dependents and reduce embassy staff to a minimum in the country.

‘This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, as well as the conclusion that the presence of US diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on US policy,’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Monday night.

Pompeo said the remaining diplomats in Venezuela will be removed by the end of the week. Venezuela has struggled to restore electricity after the blackouts began on Thursday and began adding even more fuel to a deepening political crisis in the country.

The United States is withdrawing all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela this week amid chaos in the country as power outages across the country reached their fifth day. Pictured is an explosion at a state-owned electric company in Caracas that took place on Sunday as the power outage continues to affect parts of the country

The United States is withdrawing all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela this week amid chaos in the country as power outages across the country reached their fifth day. Pictured is an explosion at a state-owned electric company in Caracas that took place on Sunday as the power outage continues to affect parts of the country

Pompeo announced on Monday night that the State Department’s decision to withdraw all remaining personnel from the US embassy ‘reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela’

Pompeo announced on Monday night that the State Department’s decision to withdraw all remaining personnel from the US embassy ‘reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela’

Pompeo did not specify what exact day the personnel would be withdrawn from the embassy (pictured) in Caracas

Pompeo did not specify what exact day the personnel would be withdrawn from the embassy (pictured) in Caracas

The country entered its fifth consecutive day of power outages on Monday, which have forced people to rummage through bins for food, line up to charge electronic devices using a solar panel, and buy bread with $100 bills

The country entered its fifth consecutive day of power outages on Monday, which have forced people to rummage through bins for food, line up to charge electronic devices using a solar panel, and buy bread with $100 bills

Supermarkets were left ransacked by hungry looters, desperate to find food during the ongoing food shortages in Venezuela

Supermarkets were left ransacked by hungry looters, desperate to find food during the ongoing food shortages in Venezuela

The US has led an international effort to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro and replace him with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who vows to hold new a presidential election.

Guaido is backed by some 50 countries, while Maduro maintains support from countries such as China, Russia and Cuba. Maduro had ordered all US diplomats to leave Venezuela in late January because of its support from Guaido, but he then retreated and allowed them to stay.

Pompeo lashed out at Cuba and Russia for continuing to support Maduro on Monday, claiming they were contributing to Venezuela’s economic crisis.

He called Cuba the ‘true imperialist power’ in Venezuela. Cuba has made the same accusation against the United States, alleging that the US is after Venezuela’s oil.

But Pompeo told reporters at the State Department that the US is interested only in the welfare of the Venezuelan people. He also rejected allegations by Maduro that the US is responsible for the crippling power outages.

Venezuela entered its fifth consecutive day of power outages on Monday, which have forced people to rummage through bins for food, line up to charge electronic devices using a solar panel, and buy bread with $100 bills.

Some Venezuelans have taken to looting supermarkets in Caracas, which photos revealing that markets in the city have been left ransacked by desperate residents struggling to find food.

Desperate Venezuelan looters with supplies they had taken from a Caracas supermarket. They were detained by security

Desperate Venezuelan looters with supplies they had taken from a Caracas supermarket. They were detained by security

Looters are faced lying down on their stomachs by armed forces after ransacking a Caracas supermarket on Sunday.

Looters are faced lying down on their stomachs by armed forces after ransacking a Caracas supermarket on Sunday

Businesses remained shut, hospitals struggled to operate, and public transport barely functioned. People converged on a polluted river to fill water bottles in Caracas and scattered protests erupted in several cities.

Late Saturday, entire families parked their cars along the main highway in Caracas in the hopes of capturing faint cell phone service to check on loved ones and get the latest news.

An NGO revealed that at least 15 patients with advanced kidney disease died after they stopped receiving dialysis treatments in darkened hospitals after the blackouts began.

Maduro said on national television on Monday night that progress had been made in restoring power in Venezuela. He said two people who were allegedly trying to sabotage power facilities were captured and were providing information to authorities, though he gave no details.

Guaido, who heads the opposition-controlled congress, and the United States say Maduro’s claims that the US sabotaged the power grid with a ‘cyberattack’ are an attempt to divert attention from the government’s own failings.