President Nicolas Maduro is blocking life-saving humanitarian aid, from countries like the U.S., Canada, and Columbia, from getting into Venezuela. The U.S. and about forty-seven other countries have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president during the current political crisis.

The conflict started on January 23 when Juan Guaidó, the leader of the legislature, declared himself acting president and said he would assume the powers of the executive branch. This came two weeks after Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as president to a six-year term in office. Maduro believed that Guairdo declaring himself president was a plot by the U.S. to get rid of him.  While this was the start of the current political crisis, Venezuela has been involved in hyperinflation, power cuts, shortages of food and medicine, and overall political discontent for years.