PEOPLE FORCED TO eat food from garbage; lack of medical supplies for the seriously ill; and such major inflation that the local population can barely afford to buy a carton of eggs or a loaf of bread.

And then there are the mass protests and demonstrations where people are being killed. This is the current political situation in Venezuela – a country that has been trapped in an economic downfall since 2013 and has seen three million Venezuelans flee the country.

This week, Kley Salinas and Liliana Fernandez – two Venezuelans living in Ireland since the early days of the crisis – spoke to TheJournal.ie, describing how they are in a perpetual state of worry because they could hear news that a loved one or friend has been kidnapped, killed or caught up in the crisis at any time. 

There have been huge demonstrations against sitting President Nicolás Maduro who has run the country since 2013, with many blaming him for the current political and economic crisis. 

Last month, opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president, a move backed by the United States and other major countries. 

During these uncertain times for the country, we asked Kley and Liliana about the current situation in their home country and what they would like to see happen.