US to withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela

• The U.S. State Department announced that all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela will be withdrawn this week.
• "Like the January 24 decision to withdraw all dependents and reduce embassy staff to a minimum, this decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy," the State Department said.
• The South American nation has been in the throes of political unrest for months over its contested presidential election. 

A view of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela on January 27, 2019.

Lokman Ilhan | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The United States is to withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela this week, the U.S. State Department announced late on Monday.

"Like the January 24 decision to withdraw all dependents and reduce embassy staff to a minimum, this decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy," the State Department said.

The South American nation has been in the throes of political unrest for months over its contested presidential election.

Venezuela is suspending school and business activities on Tuesday amid a continuing power blackout, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a televised broadcast on Monday.

It is the third such cancellation since power went out last week.