The Local Dispatch #5: Ongoing Crises at ULA and PDVSA’s Eastern Complex

Grave concerns over the state of ULA-Táchira, and a crackdown against PDVSA workers in the east feature in our fifth issue.

Cristóbal Picón Ball October 24, 2024

The Local Dispatch features selected stories from local journalists and media organizations who are reporting news from deep inside Venezuela. These are the types of stories that have no visibility abroad, even when they paint the most accurate picture of what’s actually happening in the country. The Dispatch is published weekly.

The University of Los Andes fights to survive

Andean press is raising the alarm about the dire state of the University of Los Andes (ULA), where keeping classrooms open has become an act of heroism. Members of the community, including photojournalist Paul León, have been detained. Salaries and teaching conditions are as dire as in other educational institutions in a region devastated by declining development and wellbeing. According to Noticias TRT, ULA Táchira is organizing a “rescue operation” this Saturday, calling for donations of supplies, dishes, paint, and anything else that might help.

It’s rare for both chavista and opposition leaders to agree on local issues, but this was the case with ULA in Táchira’s legislative chamber, as reported by La Nación. A PSUV lawmaker offered to work with Governor Freddy Bernal and the Education Minister to “immediately resolve” the university’s crisis.

Why does it matter? ULA was once considered Venezuela’s top university and one of the best in Latin America. Now it ranks 81st in the region and third in the country, according to the QS Latin American University Rankings. Union leader Osmar Fernández told Hora Crítica that the university’s needs “are more ignored than ever, our expertise is not valued, and we are stuck in a crisis that seems endless.”

Want to know more? Diario de Los Andes reported that ULA’s rector met with Education Minister Ricardo Sánchez (a native of Táchira and formerly an opposition–turned–chavista student leader) to address the ongoing crisis.

Maduro’s new purge targets PDVSA workers in Eastern Venezuela

Families speaking to Noticias Oriente are demanding proof of life and a phone call from their loved ones, who they suspect are among dozens detained in an apparent crackdown against PDVSA management and personnel.

Why does it matter? Activist Nicmer Evans reported that 65 PDVSA workers from Eastern Venezuela were arrested and transferred to DGCIM headquarters in Caracas. These arrests followed the announcement of a new purge targeting Colonel Pedro Tellechea —former head of PDVSA and Oil Minister until August—and his associates. Tellechea had also led Pequiven, which holds a petrochemical producer in Anzoátegui. Staff and contractors at both the petrochemical complex and a local refinery are now moving cautiously, fearing they could be next, according to El Pitazo.

Want to know more? Check out my latest piece on the purge against Tellechea and other power struggles within Venezuela’s oil sector—the most dangerous offices in the chavista state.

Black market dollars: a new trigger for arrests in Venezuela

At least eight people have been arrested in Venezuela for selling dollars at unofficial rates, all in Anzoátegui. El Aragüeño reported that two were detained for selling dollars 9 bolívares above the Central Bank rate, which is set at Bs. 39, with $230 in cash seized.

Why does it matter? As the exchange rate gap widens, Venezuela’s commercial regulator, SUNDDE, is urging citizens to report businesses and individuals using the black market rate.