Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has said he wants a million more people to join his civilian militia by the end of the year.

The call to expand the militia — which answers directly to Maduro — comes as opposition leader Juan Guaidó seeks to persuade the Venezuelan military to abandon the President.

The President, talking to thousands of civilian militia members gathered in Caracas yesterday, praised them for their readiness to defend, with arms in hand, the peace, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence and the life of the country.

Mr Maduro, however, also called on the existing two million members to get involved in agriculture, as Venezuela continues to struggle with a spiralling economic crisis which has left people struggling to afford food.

Meanwhile, Guaidó, at an anti-government rally on Saturday called on people to take to the streets to start the final phase of the end of the usurpation. He said that the people need to redouble efforts to oust Maduro from office.

US-backed Guaidó declared himself acting president on January 23, saying Maduro’s 2018 election was rigged.