A Venezuelan air force general on Saturday became the country’s first senior military official to defect from President Nicolás Maduro’s government, announcing support for mass protests to oust the socialist dictator.

In a YouTube video posted Saturday, Gen. Francisco Yanez claimed that “90 percent” of the armed forces are against Maduro.

Maduro began a second six-year term last month after a widely criticized election that barred political opponents from the ballot. Since then, the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis has only worsened.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who last month claimed the mantle of “interim president,” on Saturday repeated his call to military and political leaders to “get on the side of the Venezuelan people.”

Most of the country’s top military brass have backed Maduro in the weeks since the protests started. Venezuela’s aerospace command tweeted a picture of Yanez with the word “traitor” stamped on his face Saturday.

The military helped Maduro survive mass protests in 2014 and 2017 by jailing activists and suppressing protests.

But surrounded by thousands of roaring supporters, Guaidó, the 35-year-old president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared that protests will continue until Maduro agrees to new elections overseen by international observers.

Maduro spoke at a rally in the capital Caracas that government workers said they were forced to attend. The ruler suggested he would call new elections for the National Assembly, instead of a presidential ballot.

He maintained the protests are part of a US-led coup attempt.

The Trump administration last month recognized Guaidó as the interim president has been leading international calls for Maduro to step down.

Last year, US officials reportedly held secret meetings with rebellious military leaders to discuss plans to overthrow Maduro. And this week, the US imposed new sanctions against the state-owned oil company, an attempt to cripple the government by cutting off its main source of cash.

“Do you think Venezuela is going to give up and obey your orders?” Maduro asked Trump during his rally. “We will not surrender.”

Opposition leaders plan to bring humanitarian aid into the country in the coming days, Guaidó said. The effort will be a test for the military, which will have to choose between letting the aid through or obeying Maduro’s orders to stop it. He noted that military and police forces have not cracked down on protesters filling the streets in several cities, a sign their loyalties may be shifting.

Post Wire Services