by Curlan Campbell

• Nicolas Maduro and his wife captured by US military on Saturday, 3 January
• Renewed attempt by Washington to impose Monroe Doctrine through military force
• Broader economic consequences for region could arise due to factors outside Venezuela’s control

Venezuela’s Ambassador to Grenada, Jorge Guerrero Veloz, has called for heightened regional awareness and diplomatic mobilisation across the Caribbean, warning that what is described as the kidnapping of Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife by United States forces represents not only an attack on Venezuela, but a direct threat to peace and sovereignty throughout the region.

Following his capture by the US military on Saturday, 3 January, Maduro is now in US custody and will face multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Speaking with NOW Grenada on the issue, Guerrero Veloz said Venezuela hopes Caribbean nations recognise that “aggression toward our homeland is an aggression against the peace of the region,” stressing that silence or inaction would effectively legitimise what he described as a renewed attempt by Washington to impose the Monroe Doctrine through military force.

He noted that while none of the territories of Caricom or the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) are in dispute, the principle at stake extends beyond borders. “To allow this aggression without a unanimous rejection based on the principles of non-interference is to recognise a brutal intention to dominate the region by force,” he said.

According to the ambassador, a CELAC meeting convened by Colombia, which currently holds the bloc’s pro tempore presidency, addressed the situation earlier this week. He said dignitaries at the meeting expressed “concern and rejection of the unilateral military actions executed on Venezuelan territory by the US government.”

Guerrero Veloz described the events of 3 January as a “flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations,” arguing that the alleged operation contravenes one of the most fundamental principles of international law: the personal immunity of acting heads of state. “Venezuelan experts, and those from any other latitude, would have to recognise that this constitutes a direct transgression of the international legal order,” he said. He cited violations of sovereign equality, the prohibition on the use or threat of force under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, and the obligation to resolve disputes by peaceful means.

He further alleged grave breaches of international humanitarian law, claiming that indiscriminate attacks affected civilians and civilian infrastructure, violating the principles of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity. “These are pillars of the law of armed conflict, and they were ignored,” he added.

Asked whether Venezuelans view the incident as a violation of national sovereignty, Guerrero Veloz was unequivocal. “With total conviction, we consider that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Venezuela were violated in an illegal and criminal manner,” he said, pointing to the Venezuelan Constitution’s affirmation of self-determination and independence.

He also criticised Venezuelans who have publicly celebrated US intervention, saying such reactions ignore the broader national consequences. “They celebrate without looking at the consequences; they think as partisans of a political party and not from the perspective of what the looting of our natural resources represents for our nation,” he said.

According to multiple international news agencies, including Al Jazeera, the deaths of 32 Cuban citizens have been reported following the US military operation on Venezuelan soil. The ambassador confirmed that both the Venezuelan and Cuban governments have acknowledged deaths resulting from the military action, including civilians and military personnel. He described the operation as “criminal” and labelled it an act of “state terrorism.”

Guerrero Veloz argued that international legal mechanisms clearly apply to the situation. He referenced UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, which defines bombardment, invasion, or occupation of a state’s territory as acts of aggression, and said the facts Venezuela is presenting “unequivocally fit this definition.”

He also cited rulings by the International Court of Justice, which recognise occupation when a state exercises effective control over another’s territory, even without formal annexation, as well as Security Council and General Assembly resolutions affirming that territory cannot be acquired by force.

Despite the crisis, the ambassador said Venezuela does not anticipate disrupting trade relations with Caribbean partners. “Venezuela reaffirms its vocation for peace and peaceful coexistence,” he said, adding that the country seeks cooperation rather than confrontation.

However, he acknowledged that broader economic consequences for the region could arise due to factors outside Venezuela’s control. He pointed to “over a thousand unilateral coercive measures, sanctions, blockades, theft of assets, and the kidnapping of oil tankers” currently imposed on the country.

“Our will is unshakable. We will neither waver nor rest in our denunciation, nor in the battle for the liberation and return of the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife to their beloved Great Homeland,” the ambassador concluded, framing the issue as one that will continue to resonate across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Maduro and his wife were both charged. The case is scheduled for a hearing in court again on 17 March. Meanwhile, the former vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, was officially sworn in on Monday to lead the South American nation in Maduro’s absence.

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