The Sectoral Vice President for Politics, Citizen Security, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed the discovery of a boat with 14 dead people, all of whom, he added, were coming from Africa, including some from Mali, without specifying how many of them.
On his weekly «Con el mazo dando” (Hitting with the Hammer) program, Cabello said that Venezuelan authorities found the boat in the country’s delta region:
«There were 14 bodies. Those people were all from Africa. Were they coming from Africa? I don’t know, the current would have carried them away. We don’t know. That situation fell on us in Venezuela,» said Cabello.
He also explained that, according to medical reports, these people died of hunger and dehydration. The minister denied that the bodies had gunshot wounds, as well as he assured that a woman, whom he did not identify reported on this:
«This woman writes and says, ‘Bodies found in Venezuelan waters show gunshot wounds.’ That woman hasn’t the slightest idea, yet she writes that. What’s her intention? (to talk about) Firearms, violence in Venezuela,» he added.
Therefore, Cabello said he asked Douglas Rico, director of the Scientific, Criminal, and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC), to summon the woman so she could prove what she reported.
«Then I told Douglas: ‘Call her, summon her, and have her prove that those bodies have gunshot wounds.’ (…) You have the right to say whatever you want, but you (have to) assume responsibility for what you say,» said Cabello.