U.S. imposes new sanctions on Venezuela to squeeze out leader amid humanitarian crisis

The United Stateson Friday ramped up its attempt to dislodge Venezuelan PresidentNicolas Maduro from power, imposing new sanctions and revokingvisas, while opposition leader Juan Guaido said Maduro's supportamong the military was cracking.

Venezuelan military officials last weekend blocked anopposition-backed effort to bring food into the country via itsborders with Colombia and Brazil, leaving two aid trucks inflames and five people dead.

Guaido, who is recognized by most Western nations asVenezuela's rightful leader, visited Paraguay and Argentina onFriday to shore up Latin American support for a transitiongovernment for the crisis-stricken nation.

Following a meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macriin Buenos Aires, Guaido said, without providing evidence, that 80 per cent of Venezuela's military nonetheless supported achange in leadership and that he would continue to seek thesupport of officers.

Earlier on Friday in Paraguay, he said 600 members ofVenezuela's armed forces had already abandoned Maduro'sgovernment following the clashes over the aid.

'Man-made humanitarian crisis'

Foreign military intervention is seen as unlikely andGuaido's international backers are instead using a mix ofsanctions and diplomacy to try to put pressure to bear onMaduro.

"We are sanctioning members of Maduro's security forces inresponse to the reprehensible violence, tragic deaths, andunconscionable torching of food and medicine destined for sickand starving Venezuelans," U.S. Treasury Secretary StevenMnuchin said in a statement.

Watch: Venezuela has been hit with new sanctions, but will they actually work?

Venezuela hit with new sanctions amid border chaos, but will they actually work?

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The U.S. targeted Venezuela's government with new sanctions after deadly violence blocked humanitarian aid from reaching the country over the weekend. Vice-President Mike Pence led talks on trying to get Nicolas Maduro out of power, and hit other Venezuelan politicians who support Maduro with sanctions too. But there are questions about whether sanctions will actually work.

The U.S. will continue to target Maduro loyalistsprolonging the suffering of the victims of this man-madehumanitarian crisis," he said.

U.S. sanctions block any assets the individuals control inthe U.S. and bars American entities from doing any businessor financial transactions with them.

The list includes National Guard Cmdr.Richard Lopez andfive other police and military officials based near theColombian or Brazilian borders.

The U.S. State Department later said it had revoked thetravel visas of 49 people as it cracked down on "individualsresponsible for undermining Venezuela's democracy."

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately replyto a request for comment.

Russia, China block bid for UNaction

Guaido slipped out of Venezuela last week, in violation of aSupreme Court order not to leave the country, to join the aidconvoys in Colombia. There, he met with U.S. Vice-President MikePence and other regional leaders and later travelled to Brazil.

He has promised to return to Venezuela by Monday, seen as aform of direct defiance to Maduro, who has said Guaidowilleventually "face justice."

Governments around the region have called on Maduro to letaid in as inflation above two million per cent per year and chronicshortages of food have left some eating from garbage bins inorder to ward off malnutrition.

Maduro has called the U.S.-backed humanitarian aid effort aveiled invasion meant to push him from power, and has insistedthat there is no crisis in the country.

Russia has accused the U.S.of preparing tointervene militarily in Venezuela and, along with China, blockeda U.S. bid this week to get the United Nations Security Councilto take action on Venezuela.

Friday's action is the second set of sanctions this week,after the U.S.on Monday targeted four Venezuelan stategovernors allied with Maduro. Washington on Monday also calledon allies to freeze the assets of state-owned oil companyPetroleosde Venezuela SA.