On Thursday, Nicolas Maduro declared that his government will instruct military personnel this weekend on how to educate locals in handling weapons, citing a looming “invasion” from the United States.
The Maduro administration has consistently described the US military’s presence in nearby Caribbean waters as a “threat.” They argue that President Trump’s anti-drug initiatives are essentially a strategy to subvert South American nations, including efforts to remove Maduro from power.
Amid ongoing tensions, Maduro has been vocal about what he terms the “invasion” of Venezuela, alleging that the US is using drug enforcement as a guise for military intervention. He also mentioned that some of his government officials have faced various allegations, suggesting that these are politically motivated attempts to destabilize his regime.
“This Saturday, September 20th, military personnel will engage the community, visiting over 5,000 neighborhoods. The Bolivar National Army will work alongside the people,” he said. “This signifies a perfect alignment: the military and the community will unite.”
Maduro further elaborated, “We’ll head to the barracks, where we will distribute weapons, conduct reviews, and demonstrate how to operate them.”
In his opinions, Trump aims to orchestrate a “regime change” in Venezuela, allegedly to exploit the country’s oil and natural resources. He claimed, “There is a plan from the empire to change the government of Venezuela, seizing our oil and gas reserves.”
Recently, Maduro’s government launched Operation Caribe 200, a military drill set in the Caribbean, intended to prepare for potential confrontations with the US. This involved exercises around La Ochira, which houses a military base, with the administration disseminating videos of the drills on social media.
President Trump has made statements regarding the interception of two ships linked to Venezuelan drug traffickers, urging Maduro to halt the trafficking of drugs and members of organized crime groups into the US.
The US recently published a video showing the results of military actions against alleged members of a Venezuelan drug cartel, underscoring ongoing tensions between the two nations. However, Maduro’s administration has dismissed the authenticity of the footage, labeling it as fabricated without substantiating this claim.
In August, Maduro mobilized “4.5 million” members of the Bolivarian militia—a force loyal to his regime—in reaction to what he called a US aggression campaign. Despite claims of success during enlistments, reports indicate that turnout was low, raising questions about the effectiveness of these mobilization efforts.
