The Local Dispatch #9: Margariteños at the Verge

The PDVSA explosion in Monagas has plunged Margarita into 20-hour blackouts, while families of post-electoral detainees demand answers and mass releases

Cristóbal Picón Ball November 21, 2024

The Local Dispatch features selected stories from local journalists and media organizations who are reporting news from deep inside Venezuela and 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.

Margarita faces electrical emergency amid regime’s blame game

Power outages were already part of daily life in Margarita, but since November 11, when PDVSA’s Muscar gas complex exploded in Monagas, the blackouts have dramatically worsened. As The Local Dispatch warned last week, outages initially stretched to 6–14 hours. Now, in some areas, blackouts last up to 20 hours a day. The situation continues to deteriorate across the island, according to reports from Runrunes and El Tiempo.

Margarita relies heavily on two Corpoelec thermoelectric plants for power, both of which stopped receiving gas after the Muscar explosion. Engineer Armand Delon identified the plants as Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi in Porlamar and Juan Bautista Arismendi in El Guamache. The latter reportedly supplies power to half the island, per Unión Radio. Delcy Rodríguez has accused opposition leader María Corina Machado and U.S. businessman Erik Prince of sabotaging a gas pipeline guarded by the military. She claims 11 people are already in custody for attacking the complex, which distributes 80% of Venezuela’s gas. According to BNN Bloomberg, the Muscar complex accounts for 63% of the nation’s natural gas consumption.

“Margariteños denounce sabotage and blame is cast, but we haven’t heard a single solution or contingency plan to restore electricity,” said Margarita-based architect Fernando Escorcia on social media. “There’s no plan to bring gas or diesel to the plants, no emergency generators, and no operational ship or alternative measures.”

Why it matters: The risk of a food crisis looms large as the island also grapples with water shortages, said Circuito Onda correspondent Dexcy Guédez this morning. In his latest piece for Crónica Uno, Guédez highlighted how Margariteños are discarding spoiled food and stores are unable to restock because they can’t power refrigerators.

At Clínica El Espinal, births are being attended under flashlight and cell phone light, while nearby Clínica El Valle has stopped admitting patients due to a lack of air conditioning. Almost all businesses and services are paralyzed because they lack fuel to run generators for more than half the day.

More information: In a letter to Delcy Rodríguez, as reported by NotiEspartano, Nueva Esparta Governor Morel Rodríguez of Fuerza Vecinal urged the government to consider a joint proposal with the German Embassy to install solar panel farms on Margarita and Coche islands. Morel also emphasized that the crisis extends to Coche’s communities.

Mothers of post-electoral prisoners plead for mass releases

Some mothers gathered outside the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Caracas on Thursday, begging Tarek William Saab for an audience to discuss their imprisoned children. Others camped on the concrete outside the Tocorón prison in Aragua, hoping for news about detainees who were allegedly set to be released last weekend. Outside Yare III prison, a mother speaking for a group said on camera, “We’re distraught, worried, and feel utterly mocked. Every time they announce they’ll release innocent people, we drop everything and rush from our home states to come here. Please, Mr. Saab, Mr. President—if you’ve admitted there are innocent detainees, finish reviewing their cases and free our kids.”

The Maduro regime has freed 146 political prisoners in recent days, confirmed by Foro Penal, though Saab claims the number is 224. As El Carabobeño pointed out, the verified figure accounts for less than 10% of detainees. Over 50 minors remain behind bars, and the opaque criteria for releases frustrate families and human rights advocates alike. Foro Penal director Gonzalo Himiob told Radio Fe y Alegría that the conditions for these releases remain unclear.

Why it matters: Journalist and activist Luis Carlos Díaz suggested that some detainees were excluded from release because, according to official statements, they admitted to crimes in self-incriminating video confessions. In late October, El Carabobeño reported that seven minors accused of terrorism were tortured to extract confessions in exchange for reduced sentences. “The involvement of Venezuelan society, the international community, and diplomatic and human rights protection mechanisms is crucial here,” Díaz tweeted.

Héctor Rodríguez’s appointment demoralizes Ministry of Education staff

According to sources interviewed by Runrunes, new Education Minister Héctor Rodríguez, also governor of Miranda, has replaced much of the previous minister’s team, leaving many permanent employees uncertain about their roles. Some workers report that their salaries have been suspended at least once in recent months, though Rodríguez denies this.

Rodríguez has increased demands on public-sector teachers, who earn only $16–20 per month. He has also stated that educators working in public and private schools affiliated with the Venezuelan Association of Catholic Education (AVEC)—an organization collaborating with the Education Ministry—must dedicate 50% of their time to state schools.