Exclusive: In run-up to Venezuelan vote, more soldiers dissent and desert

By Girish Gupta and Anggy Polanco CARACAS/SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela (Reuters) - Arrests for rebellion and desertion are rising sharply in Venezuela's armed forces, a mainstay of President Nicolas Maduro's Socialist government, amid discontent within the ranks at food shortages and dwindling salaries, according to documents and interviews with army personnel. Internal military documents reviewed by Reuters showed that the number of soldiers detained for treason, rebellion and desertion rose to 172 in the first four months of the year, up three-and-a-half times on the same period of 2017. Former military officials said the figures reflected a dramatic increase in the level of dissent within Venezuela's once-proud armed forces.

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