The Bolivar Alliance for Our American People – Trade Treaty of People (ALBA-TCP) criticized President Donald Trump’s decision this week to send troops to Caribbean waters as a response to local drug cartels.
The left-leaning president has publicly shown his “steadfast support” for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who is under various narcoterrorism allegations from the US. They further condemned the US for what they labeled “an unjust attack” on political and judicial oppression of leaders.
ALBA-TCP, often simply known as “Alba,” is a far-left coalition that was established in 2004 by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez. Since its inception, other nations like Bolivia and Nicaragua have joined due to their leftist governments.
The group held an unexpected online summit on Wednesday in reaction to the US increasing its military presence in the Caribbean, deploying Three Ejis guided destroyers and troops to tackle drug trafficking that impacts the US.
Maduro, a prominent figure associated with the Venezuelan drug trade, claims that the US military’s actions constitute an “invasion” aimed at deposing him. Recently, he ordered his government to prepare for this “invasion,” imposing a nationwide drone ban on the 4.5 million members of the socialist militia. Additionally, Maduro organized unusual activities, including a martial arts exhibition and TV performances in which dictators serenade the audience with Mexican ranchera songs promoting unity for Venezuela’s Socialist Party (PSUV).
The virtual leftist meeting concluded with a statement backing Maduro. The text asserted that the US intended to impose “interventionist policies” under false pretenses. ALBA argued that the “groundless accusations” against Maduro were part of a broader strategy to inspire foreign intervention.
“We denounce the US military’s presence in Caribbean waters, which is cloaked as anti-drug measures; it poses a threat to regional peace and constitutes a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
The statement continued by calling for an immediate cessation of military threats or actions that compromise political independence and integrity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Maduro urged for a coalition among all “rebels” in Latin America, the Caribbean, the US, and elsewhere during his speech at the conference. He claimed, “They want to turn us into racist slaves.”
“They will not succeed in colonizing or enslaving Venezuela, South America, or us. If they dare to touch Venezuela, all of America will rise for us and for Bolivar’s people.”
The “President” Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba condemned the display of US “imperial power” and echoed Maduro’s call for unity. Díaz-Canel also took the chance to denounce Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, asserting that “the threat looming over Venezuela is rooted in a philosophy of dispossession that has turned the world into chaos.”
“Zionist immunity, imperial accomplice, or the other way around. All crimes have their doers and those who assist them. Israeli Zionism and US imperialism switch roles in their wrongdoings,” Díaz-Canel stated. “Cuba understands this well because in that genocidal blockade, the empire has always stood firmly behind Israel.”
Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega, also a communist dictator, expressed his support for Maduro by stating, “Today it’s Venezuela; tomorrow, they might try to do this to us.” Ortega claimed that Latin America has been designated as “a territory of peace.”
He questioned President Donald Trump’s “compliant way the international community reacts” and noted the absence of any response to the US’s $50 million bounty for information on Maduro that could lead to his arrest.
“All of Latin America, the territory of peace, appears to lack a united and strong response to the threat posed by Washington’s pawns offering millions for the life of the legitimate president of Venezuela?” Ortega asked.
Bolivia’s former socialist president Luis Arce, who recently faced significant political defeat, stated that the US’s actions reflect a desire for “geopolitical control” over Latin America and its resources.
“They plan to militarize the Caribbean and South America under the guise of combatting drug trafficking, trying to revive a past pattern that our people have decisively rejected,” Arce said, reiterating his support for Nicolás Maduro regarding the disrespectful behavior of the US concerning the $50 million bounty.
