The latest on Yaracuy Rural Violence

Thursday 6, November 2003

Yaracuy al Dia, the pro-Chavez paper was sold out at my news stand (I was late). But I did get the other paper that I could not read yesterday, El Yaracuyano, more objective.

According to El Yaracuyano, my suspicion that Doña Barbara keeps haunting the Yaracuy country side might be verified. Indeed, Central Matilde might have tried to pull that stunt and it did not turn out as expected. The fact that the suspects were arrested next state, where they apparently reside, hints to hired guns to say the least.

Yet, in a related article El Yaracuyano reports yesterday a stormy session of the Yaracuy Legislative Assembly. This one decided, among other things, to call into account the different authorities that were supposed to stand between thewarringg parts and that were strangely absent, in particular the state prosecutor and the state ombudsman who as chavistas should have been there to protect the peasants claiming for land. Or at least have a deputy and be on call. They were not. This makes me wonder if my suspicion of the "necessary martyr" is too close to comfort.

No matter what, lose ends abound, and the stench of a set up poisons the atmosphere. Unfortunately like everything in Venezuela, we might never know for sure which side tried to set up the other.