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Three people killed during anti-government protests in Venezuela

A view of a mass march against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the capital Caracas on April 19, 2017 (Photos by AFP)

At least three people have reportedly been killed following clashes that erupted during pro and anti-government protests across Venezuela.

A woman was killed during a protest in the country’s San Cristobal city in the state of Táchira, while a teenager was shot during a demonstration in the capital Caracas on Wednesday.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse the anti-government demonstrators who had gathered in the hundreds of thousands in Caracas for a protest dubbed the "mother of all marches."

Officials also said that anti-government protesters killed a National Guard sergeant in the town of San Antonio de los Altos near Venezuela’s capital.

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro can be seen rallying in Caracas on April 19, 2017.

Supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also took part in a large counter rally in the city.

"Why did they decide to launch this offensive all of a sudden? First, because it is the order of the empire in the hands of extremists of the Department of State," Maduro said while addressing a rally at Bolivar Avenue in the capital.

Venezuela has been hit by violent demonstrations sparked by the Supreme Court’s ruling to annul the legislature.

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Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled that the National Assembly was in “contempt” and annulled its legislative powers. However, it reversed its ruling on April 1 after Maduro asked the judicial body to review the decision.

A demonstrator wearing a gas mask walks engulfed in a cloud of tear gas fired by riot police during an opposition march against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on April 19, 2017.

Public discontent with the government has been high as a result of the economic woes gripping the once-booming Latin American economy.

The embattled president is blamed for Venezuela’s economic woes while the opposition also regrets his lack of tolerance for dissent. Maduro says the Western-backed opposition has hugely capitalized on the global slump in oil prices to try and remove him from office.


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