A high-ranking Venezuelan air force general says he has disavowed President Nicolas Maduro and now recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim head-of-state, according to a video circulating on Twitter on Saturday.
In the video, Gen. Francisco Yanez, a member of the air force’s high command, calls on other members of the military to defect. The high command’s web page lists him, along with a photo, as the air force’s head of strategic planning.
On its Twitter account, the high command accuses the general of treason. Yanez is the first active Venezuelan general to recognize Guaido since he proclaimed himself president on Jan. 23.
“The transition to democracy is imminent,” Yanez says in the video. He also describes Maduro as a dictator and refers to Guaido as his president. Yanez does not say whether he is still in Venezuela or has left the country.
ATENCIÓN: General de División Francisco Estéban Yánez Rodríguez, Director de Planificación Estratégica del Alto Mando Militar de la Aviación, reconoce a Juan Guaidó como Presidente (E) de Venezuela. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/2Feb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#2Feb</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Uz4fOixsvq”>pic.twitter.com/Uz4fOixsvq</a>
—@Gbastidas
In the video, he claims that “90 per cent” of the country’s armed forces are against Maduro.