THE United States has said it will withdraw all remaining diplomatic staff from Venezuela as Nicolas Maduro accused U.S. President Donald Trump of masterminding a “demonic” plot to force him from power by crippling the country’s electricity system with an imperialist “electromagnetic attack.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision to vacate the U.S. embassy in the crisis-stricken country’s capital, Caracas, late Monday.

“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,” Pompeo tweeted.

On Jan. 24 the U.S. State Department ordered all non-emergency government employees to depart Venezuela, where Maduro is facing a stiff challenge for power from opposition leader Juan Guaido amid an acute economic crisis. That day, the department also urged Americans living in Venezuela to consider leaving.

Pompeo’s announcement came after another day of chaos as power outages continued to cause problems for Venezuelans.  (SD-Agencies)