In Pictures: Protesters, police clash at Venezuela border towns

Venezuela’s National Guard fired tear gas on protesters clearing a barricaded border bridge between Venezuela and Colombia on Saturday, heightening tensions over blocked humanitarian aid that opposition leader Juan Guaido has vowed to bring into the country over objections from President Nicolas Maduro.

Throughout the turbulent day, as police and protesters squared off on two bridges connecting Venezuela to Colombia, opposition leader Juan Guaido made repeated calls for the military to join him in the fight against Maduro’s “dictatorship.”

Colombian authorities said more than 60 soldiers answered his call, deserting their posts in often-gripping fashion, though most were lower in rank and didn’t appear to dent the higher command’s continued loyalty to Maduro’s socialist government.

In one dramatic high point, a group of activists led by exiled lawmakers managed to escort three flatbed trucks of aid past the halfway point into Venezuela when they were repelled by security forces.

In a flash the cargo caught fire, with some eyewitnesses claiming the troops doused a tarp covering the boxes with gas before setting it on fire.

During a speech to a crowd of thousands on Saturday at an outdoor rally in Caracas, Maduro slammed those attempting to bring food and medical supplies into the country as “traitors”.