Like many residents, Guri Kichba says soldiers looted her family's apartment.

NPR: Conflict Brewing Over Breakaway Georgian Province

Moreover, the state-run National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology website does not provide any specific details on levels of precipitation in the Caroni river basin, where the Guri dam is located.

FORBES: Venezuela: Recent Rain And Claims of Cloud Seeding

As STRATFOR has explained previously, however, rainfall would have to occur in the upriver areas of southern Venezuela, along the border of Bolivar state and Brazil, for the Guri dam reservoir to rise.

FORBES: Venezuela's Dodgy Energy Data

In this context, UNESCO organized a workshop on the Global Microscience Experiments in partnership with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and in collaboration with the Guri Vie Meilleure Foundation, founded by the First Lady of Niger.

UNESCO: Strenthening Scientific Education in Niger

According to April 12 OPSIS data, the water level of the Guri dam dropped only 4 centimeters (about 1.6 inches) over the past 24 hours while the water intake increased by 723 cubic meters per second over the same period.

FORBES: Venezuela's Dodgy Energy Data