Thiusands Rally Across Brasil In Support of Former President Bolsonaro

Thousands Rally Across Brazil in Support of Jailed Former President Bolsonaro BRAZIL Brazil Thousands of supporters rallied across Brazil over the weekend in support of former right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, in an effort to build support for his son ahead of October’s presidential elections, the Associated Press reported. Demonstrations took place in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the capital, Brasília, with protesters draped in the yellow and green of the national flag, calling for Bolsonaro’s release and denouncing leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Signs reading “Free Bolsonaro” and “Get out Lula” were visible, along with hats declaring support for the jailed president’s son, Flávio Bolsonaro. Brazil’s right is looking to unify after Bolsonaro anointed Flávio, a Rio de Janeiro senator, as his political heir in December. The former president is serving a 27-year prison sentence for charges linked to a failed coup plot following his 2022 re-election loss to Lula. The decision to name Flávio as heir to the right-wing movement initially triggered mixed reactions within the Bolsonaro family and the broader conservative camp, with two governors launching their own presidential bids, according to Agence France-Presse. Bolsonaro said in a note from prison that he regrets “the criticism coming from the right itself” and urged allies to avoid internal divisions. While initially reluctant, Flávio has embraced the candidacy and sought to present a united front. Appearing alongside potential rivals, he told supporters that the Oct. 4 elections “will be decisive,” adding that the conservatives are “one ste

Brasilian Politicians Sentenced To More Than 76 Years In Prison For Ordering A Rio de Janeiro Counselor's Murder

Brazilian Politicians Sentenced to More than 76 Years for Ordering Councilor’s Murder BRAZIL Brazil Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday sentenced two politician brothers to 76 years and three months in prison after finding them guilty of ordering the 2018 assassination of Rio de Janeiro city councilor Marielle Franco, closing a high-profile case that exposed ties between politicians and the mafia, the Washington Post reported. Observers noted that the court’s verdict established a political motive tied to militia-linked land interests. The court said the assassination laid bare how criminal groups can shape local politics through territorial control, intimidation and corruption. The court found former congressman João Francisco Inácio Brazão, known as Chiquinho Brazão, and his brother Domingos Inácio Brazão guilty of attempted homicide, double homicide and criminal organization. Two military police officers were also found guilty of assisting in the planning and logistics of the killing, while former Rio police chief Rivaldo Barbosa was sentenced to 18 years for obstruction of justice and passive corruption. Franco, 38, who was also a human rights activist, was returning from an event with Black women leaders on March 14, 2018, when gunmen in another vehicle opened fire on her car with submachine guns. Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were killed instantly. Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Franco had challenged land-grabbing operations and housing developments in areas under the brothers’ influence. The brothers “didn’t just have contact with the militia. They were the militia,” he said. Prosecutors also claimed that the militia engaged in crimes such as extortion, territorial control and the exploitation of illicit markets such as “charging residents fees for ‘security’ services,” illegally distributing cable TV signals and monopolizing electoral campaigning “by excluding rivals.” The Supreme Court’s ruling comes after the 2024 confession of Ronnie Lessa, a former military police officer and militia member, who confessed to pulling the trigger and said the Brazão brothers were behind Franco’s murder. Lessa was sentenced to 78 years for double homicide, attempted homicide and receiving stolen property, including the vehicle used in the crime. Defense attorneys denied the brothers’ involvement and dismissed Lessa’s confession. Franco’s sister, Anielle – who serves as minister of racial equality in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government – welcomed the ruling, saying it had “honored the memory of Marielle and Anderson” and marked “a new historic chapter” in confronting political violence “based on gender and race,” the BBC added.

Peru's President Ousted After Four Months

Peru’s President Ousted After Four Months in ‘Express Impeachment’ PERU Peru Peru’s interim President José Jerí was ousted by Congress after four months in office over a scandal related to secret meetings with Chinese businessmen, deepening political instability before the April 12 general election, the Guardian reported. Lawmakers on Tuesday approved an “express impeachment” by a vote of 75 to 24. Jerí took office after the impeachment of his predecessor, Dina Boluarte, in October for “permanent moral incapacity.” Jerí was Peru’s eighth president since 2016, the fourth consecutive one to be removed and the latest in a long line of leaders who have been embroiled in scandals, removals and resignations. On Wednesday, lawmakers picked left-wing lawmaker and former Supreme Court judge José María Balcázar as the interim president to replace Jerí, CNN reported. The scandal that led to Jerí’s downfall, dubbed “Chifa-gate” – after the name for Peruvian food with Chinese roots – began with revelations that the president had recently held unofficial meetings with Zhihua Yang, a Chinese businessman who holds a state-granted concession for one of his companies. Another Chinese citizen present at one meeting, Ji Wu Xiaodong, is accused of belonging to an illegal timber-trafficking network known as Los Hostiles de la Amazonia and had been under house arrest for two years. Neither meeting was registered in official presidential records. Jerí acknowledged the encounters last month and apologized for how they were conducted. However, he denied any wrongdoing and called the meetings “circumstantial.” Still, prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into alleged influence-peddling linked to the meetings. Observers explained that the episode unfolded amid rising diplomatic friction between the United States and China over Lima’s economic ties with Beijing. The US said last week it was “concerned” about reports that Peru could be powerless to oversee the port of Chancay, which is ...

Colombia Accepts Rebel Group's Proposal To Allow Independent Probe Into Alleged Drug Links

Colombia Accepts Rebel Group’s Proposal to Allow Independent Probe Into Alleged Drug Links COLOMBIA Colombia Colombian President Gustavo Petro accepted a proposal by the country’s largest rebel group to allow an independent commission to investigate its alleged links to drug trafficking, removing a key obstacle that derailed peace talks last year, the Associated Press reported. The proposal came in a Jan. 20 video by Antonio Garcia, leader of the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group, who said the rebels impose a tax on cocaine traders but do not run trafficking routes or cocaine labs. Garcia challenged the government to authorize an independent verification process. While accepting the proposal on Sunday, Petro said the body verifying the claims should be “scientific and independent of governments” and deliver its findings to the United Nations. He also urged the ELN to support efforts to replace coca crops in the northeastern Catatumbo region. The move comes weeks after Colombia and the United States agreed to joint military and intelligence action against the country’s criminal groups. Petro has long accused the ELN leadership of being “drug traffickers dressed up as guerrilla fighters,” and this allegation has led to stalled peace talks during the first two years of his administration. Talks collapsed last year after the ELN launched an offensive in Catatumbo that killed dozens and displaced more than 50,000 people. Founded in the early 1960s, the ELN has about 5,000 fighters in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela. Its influence has expanded along the Venezuelan border since another major Colombian guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), disbanded in 2017 following a peace deal. The ELN said in January it would like to work toward a “national accord” to resume negotiations, but Petro has insisted talks will only restart if the group abandons drug trafficking. Earlier this month, Colombia’s most powerful criminal group, the Gaitanist Army of Colombia (EGC), suspended peace talks after reports that authorities would target its top leader. Observers noted that the renewed US-Colombia push complicates Petro’s “Total Peace” strategy, which seeks negotiated settlements with armed groups.

Panama Canal Becomes 'A Blueprint For Ejecting China From Latin America

Panama Canal Becomes a ‘Blueprint’ for Ejecting China from Latin America PANAMA Panama In 1997, Panama issued the first of two 25-year licenses to a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, giving the firm control of ports on both sides of the Panama Canal – a move critics say expanded China’s strategic footprint in the waterway. Since then, American leaders, especially President Donald Trump, have sounded alarm bells over China’s influence in the region. In his inauguration speech last year, for instance, Trump vowed to take back the canal that the US transferred to Panama in 1999 and has put the Central American country under pressure ever since. The canal is a “hinge point” in the new world order that Trump is seeking to create. The American invasion of Venezuela last month was a major milestone in that plan. A second came in late January when Panama’s Supreme Court invalidated the two agreements on constitutional grounds in a case filed by the government three days after CK Hutchison refused to sell its port operations. Analysts say Panama is a warning to the rest of the Americas – get ready to be caught between the US and China. “It is hard to imagine that any of this would have happened without the pressure applied by the United States,” the Economist said. The capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and ominous threats over Greenland’s sovereignty grab the world’s attention, but the squeeze that Mr. Trump has put on Panama is more relevant for the rest of the Americas. Panama could become a blueprint. Small countries are vulnerable.” In the case, plaintiffs said the licenses were bad for the country. Since CK Hutchison Holdings began operating the ports, the Panamanian government has lost $1.3 billion in revenues, which are vital to the local economy, the Wall Street Journal reported, noting that 5 percent of global trade and 40 percent of US trade pass through the canal. The court’s decision was a big win for Trump. Chinese officials described it as “political backstabbing” and a “legal absurdity,” wrote Agence France-Presse. CK Hutchison Holdings has initiated arbitration proceedings, but Panamanian officials have yet to confirm whether they will join. The canal is extremely important for Chinese exporters who would lose significant margins if they had to transport their goods around South America rather than cutting through the canal to the Caribbean and the US. The Panama case may serve as a model for other Latin American countries facing US pressure to reduce Chinese influence. In 2021, similar pressure persuaded Chile to terminate a contract with a Chinese-German consortium managing its passports. Still, China controls about two-thirds of Chile’s energy sector. Currently, Peru is in Washington’s sights because of a $1.3 billion Chinese-built megaport in Chancay. The Trump administration last week expressed concern that China was costing Peru its sovereignty by solidifying control over the South American nation’s critical infrastructure after a Peruvian court ruling restricted a local regulator’s oversight of the port. “The…port …has become a symbol of China’s foothold in Latin America and a lightning rod for tensions with Washington,” wrote Houston Public Media. The Chinese government strongly rejected the US comments on the port issue. China, since the 1990s, has been steadily increasing its influence in South and Central America. Currently, China is the top trading partner for South America and is becoming the largest for Latin America as a whole, wrote the Conversation. It is also a major source of foreign direct investment and infrastructure lending for the region. However, Chinese investments also tend to focus on areas that give Beijing control over a country’s critical infrastructure such as the Peruvian port, as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Meanwhile, Chinese diplomats said they would force Panama to pay a “heavy price” for its actions vis- à-vis the Panama Canal. Analysts say arbitration will be costly, but other measures from China could include cutting financing to the country. Meanwhile, Panama’s investment credentials could also take a hit. Still, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino stuck to his guns, saying the Chinese would need to accept the decision because his country respected the rule of law, according to Al Jazeera. “Panama is a dignified country and will not allow itself to be threatened by any country on earth,” Mulino said recently. However, last year, many Panamanians expressed similar sentiments toward what they perceived as US interference, angry at the bullying from the behemoth to the north. Still, Amalendu Misra, professor of international politics at Lancaster University, says the Panamanian Supreme Court decision is a warning to China and countries in the region. “(Chinese companies may) come to realize with the Panamanian Supreme Court verdict that there is nothing that China can do if your investment goes down the drain,” Misra told France24. “Many Latin American and Central American countries are going to become stronger now by taking this example, by saying no to Chinese control of their resources, their ports and other things.”

Argentina's Upper House Approves Milele's Labor Overhauls Amid Mass Potesta

Argentina’s Upper House Approves Milei’s Labor Overhaul Amid Mass Protests ARGENTINA Argentina Argentina’s Senate on Thursday approved President Javier Milei’s sweeping labor reforms bill after a marathon debate amid mass protests outside Congress, handing the libertarian leader a crucial victory in his economic overhaul program, the Associated Press reported. In a 42-30 vote, senators backed the bill after 13 hours of debate, sending it to the lower house for further discussion next month, where amendments could still be introduced or reversed. The reforms – considered central to Milei’s shock therapy program – expose deep political and social divisions over workers’ rights and economic policy. The changes will lower employers’ costs, ease severance obligations and extend trial periods for new hires. The reforms will also curb the right to strike and allow collective bargaining at the company level. Milei’s administration made 28 concessions to secure support, including removing a proposal to lower employers’ income taxes that would have reduced provincial revenue, according to Bloomberg. Some provisions that threatened union finances were also watered down. The vo

Colombia: Prosecutors To Charge National Oil Company Chief For Corruption In Probe Linked To President

Colombian Prosecutors to Charge National Oil Company Chief for Corruption in Probe Linked to President COLOMBIA Colombia Colombia’s attorney general will file corruption charges against the president of the national oil company Ecopetrol for alleged violations of campaign spending limits when he was running Gustavo Petro’s 2022 presidential campaign, the Associated Press reported. The state oil company’s president, Ricardo Roa, managed Petro’s finances during his ultimately successful bid to become Colombia’s first leftist president four years ago. He was appointed a year later to lead the oil company. Prosecutors said on Monday that they had evidence that Roa helped the Petro campaign illegally exceed spending limits. Authorities are also investigating him for alleged influence peddling linked to the purchase of an apartment in Bogotá from an oil executive, Bloomberg reported. They also allege that Roa steered Ecopetrol contracts to the executive’s firm in exchange for the apartment. Roa has denied the allegations. Even so, Colombia’s National Electoral Council fined him and two other campaign administrators for funding Petro’s campaign with money from illegal sources and exceeding spending limits by more than $1.4 million. The controversy surrounding Petro’s presidential campaign began in 2023, when a lawyer representing a government contractor with alleged ties to a paramilitary group said his client donated thousands of dollars to the campaign. That same year, Petro’s son, Nicolás Petro, told prosecutors that his father’s campaign had used money from a former drug trafficker. Nicolás is currently under investigation for money laundering. The president has denied the accusations and labeled them as part of an effort to undermine his administration. Roa’s investigation comes as Colombians are heading to the polls later this year to elect a new president and Congress. Petro is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.

U.S. Military Is Doing Something HUGE with Cuba

Venezuela Leader Approves Privatization Of Oil, Proposes Amnesty Bill

Venezuelan Leader Approves Privatization of Oil, Proposes Amnesty Bill VENEZUELA Venezuela Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez this week approved a law that would open the country’s oil sector to private investment, acceding to the US’ demands less than a month after the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro in a US military attack, the Associated Press reported. The law ends the two-decade Venezuelan state monopoly over the country’s oil sector. The approval prompted the US to lift certain sanctions on Venezuela, with the aim of luring foreign capital to revive output from the world’s largest proven crude reserves. The shift marks a sharp departure from policies under former president Hugo Chávez, who used oil windfalls to fund expansive social programs. But falling oil prices, mismanagement and later US sanctions eroded production and profits, leading to a deep economic crisis by 2013. Separately, Rodríguez on Friday unveiled a general amnesty bill that could free hundreds of political prisoners, in another move to advance a cautious reset with Washington, CBS News reported. The proposal has long been sought by the US-backed opposition, with its leader María Corina Machado saying the bill was not announced “voluntarily, but rather in response to pressure from the US government.” Rodríguez said that the ruling party-controlled parliament would take up the bill and framed the measure as an effort to “heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism.” The government has not published the text of the bill, prompting questions about who is eligible under the general amnesty. The proposed legislation would cover “the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present,” according to Rodríguez. It would not apply to individuals convicted of murder, drug trafficking, corruption or human rights violations. Rodríguez also announced the closure of Helicoide, a Caracas detention center long linked to torture allegations, saying it would be converted into a sports and cultural complex. According to the Venezuelan-based human rights group Foro Penal, around 711 people remain detained for political activities. Since Maduro’s capture, Caracas has released more than 300 detainees, according to the watchdog group. On Saturday, Laura Dogu, the chief US diplomat to Venezuela, traveled to Caracas to meet Venezuelan officials, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reopen the US embassy there for the first time in nearly seven years, CNN wrote. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil said upcoming talks were aimed at charting a roadmap on bilateral issues and resolving differences “through diplomatic dialogue and on the basis of mutual respect and international law.”

Venezuela Has Had Enough Of US Orders

Venezuela Has Had ‘Enough’ of US Orders VENEZUELA Venezuela Venezuelan officials said they are tired of taking orders from Washington, amid mounting pressure from the US administration to loosen state controls on the oil industry, the Independent reported Monday. “Enough already of Washington’s orders over politicians in Venezuela,” said Acting President Delcy Rodríguez during a Sunday speech to address oil workers in Puerto La Cruz. “Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and internal conflicts. Enough of foreign powers.” Her comments came weeks after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid, an operation that plunged the country into political uncertainty and prompted President Donald Trump to initially say the United States was “going to run” Venezuela. Trump later backed Rodríguez to assume office as interim leader. Rodríguez said Caracas would address disputes “face to face” with Washington and insisted the government was focused on guaranteeing “peace and stability,” Xinhua reported Sunday. She also called for talks with Venezuela’s opposition to reach “agreements” on the country’s political future, saying there must be “no political or partisan differences when it comes to peace in Venezuela,” added the Independent. Despite the rhetoric, Maduro loyalists have expressed concern after Venezuela’s legislature last week began debating a measure that would loosen state control of the oil sector, the first such move since the late president Hugo Chávez nationalized parts of the industry in 2007. The proposed legislation would allow private companies to operate oil fields independently, collect cash revenues and use international arbitration for disputes. The shift appears aimed at easing US pressure and attracting foreign investment, according to the Wall Street Journal. This follows a confirmation by the Trump administration earlier this month of the first sale of Venezuelan oil, raising $500 million. The proceeds are being sequestered in Qatar – rather than US or Venezuelan banks – an arrangement intended to prevent creditors from accessing the funds while allowing money to begin flowing back to Venezuela, CNN noted. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the proceeds would fund government operations, security and food provisions, with Venezuelan banks already advertising cash availability. Meanwhile, the political thaw has coincided with the release of detainees. On Sunday, the non-governmental organization Foro Penal confirmed the release of 104 political prisoners, adding to earlier releases, and bringing the government’s total to 626 freed since December, according to France 24. Opposition groups and rights organizations have welcomed the releases but criticized their slow pace, even as Rodríguez’s government says a “large number” of remaining prisoners will be freed.

Bolivia: Strikes Escalate After Government and Union Fair to reach Agreement

Strikes in Bolivia to Escalate after Government and Union Fail to Reach an Agreement BOLIVIA Bolivia Negotiations between Bolivia’s government and organized labor collapsed over the weekend, intensifying a two-week standoff over fuel subsidy cuts as unions warned of a “national revolution,” MercoPress reported. On Friday, talks between the administration of President Rodrigo Paz and the Bolivian Workers’ Union (COB) broke down after both sides accused each other of inflexibility over Supreme Decree 5503, which ended fuel subsidies and triggered major price hikes. Union leaders abandoned calls for limited roadblocks and said the country faced escalating unrest, with more than 50 blockades reported nationwide. COB Executive Secretary Mario Argollo said the government had refused to repeal what he called an unconstitutional decree that threatened workers’ rights. He accused the administration of betraying rural and labor voters and likened the measure to Bolivia’s 1985 Supreme Decree 21060, which ushered in sweeping neoliberal reforms. The government rejected that account, countering that COB made a U-turn on provisions previously agreed, including minimum wage increases and bonuses included in the decree. Officials claimed union leaders returned to talks with an “unacceptable” ultimatum to completely repeal the decree. They have asked the COB to submit objections in writing to avoid further “misinterpretations.” Paz and his officials have stressed that the subsidy cuts are necessary to restore public finances and correct fiscal distortions. Deputy Minister of Autonomies Andrea Barrientos said the government plans to amend 35 articles of the decree to add procedural clarifications, including constitutional safeguards and social oversight, but without restoring subsidies. The weekslong strikes have caused economic losses of up to $100 million a day, according to the government, citing disruptions to industry, commerce and transport. Meanwhile, the decree has also escalated a political confrontation between Paz and Vice President Edmand Lara, ... [Message clipped] View entire message

Venezuela: The Leadership Changes but Nothing Else

In Venezuela, the Leadership Changes But Little Else Does VENEZUELA Venezuela In the hours after the US removal of leader Nicolás Maduro, some Venezuelans allowed themselves to hope. A few laughed and cheered. Others cried in relief. Some even popped the champagne they were saving for a very special occasion. But a day later, that joy and relief were replaced by fear, dread and uncertainty as the country’s new leader escalated a crackdown on dissent. “It feels like it did after the presidential elections in 2024,” María, 55, told the Washington Post, referring to the vote that Maduro allegedly stole from the opposition. “We won, but we also lost.” On Jan. 3, the US attacked Venezuela and seized Maduro and his wife, transporting them to stand trial in the US for drug trafficking and other charges. Soon after, US President Donald Trump said Washington would “run” the country. But on the ground in the days since, there is little evidence of that, say Venezuelans. Instead, all the players of the old Maduro regime are still running the country. “There is no change at all,” Francys Machucas, a banking adviser in Caracas, told the Wall Street Journal. “We are going to remain in the same situation because it’s the same people.” What did change after the Jan. 5 swearing in of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president was the intensity of a long-running crackdown on free expression and dissent. Venezuelans say her administration has unleashed police and pro-government paramilitary units known as “colectivos” on the population. For the past week, these units have set up checkpoints and roamed the streets, looking for supporters of the US action and opponents of the regime. They have been doing so under a new decree, imposed immediately after Maduro’s ouster, which ordered police to arrest anyone “involved in promoting or supporting the armed attack by the United States of America.” The decree suspended the right to protest and authorized broad restrictions on movement and assembly. The government also detained more than a dozen journalists last week. Venezuelans say now, the atmosphere is tense and full of fear, with people afraid even to speak over the phone. “We’re all tapped,” one Venezuelan resident told El País. “It’s very difficult. You say something and they arrest you.” Venezuela is on pause now, said the Spanish newspaper. It described Venezuelans as “Afraid to go out into the street, to speak out, to run out of food, (to get) bombed again.” Maduro supporters, meanwhile, are furious, taking to the streets daily to protest since the president’s ouster. Rosa Contreras, a 57-year-old, says she felt “humiliated” by the US action but was determined to show her support for the former leader by attending a rally calling for Maduro’s release, especially after she saw an image of him waving after arriving in the US. “He had an attitude that sent us a message: If I’m standing here, you have to stand here, stand tall and keep going,” she told the BBC. Meanwhile, there has been no mention of elections by either Trump or the Venezuelan government, although the country’s constitution mandates that a vote must take place within 30 days of the presidency being permanently vacated, the Associated Press noted. Still, Rodríguez maintains that the rightful president of Venezuela is Maduro. At the same time, there has been little mention of the opposition or its leader, Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado, taking over as the country’s president, with Trump insisting that she “doesn’t have the support” within Venezuela, the Hill noted. Machado is the country’s most popular politician. In contrast, Machado praised the US action and told Fox News that “It’s a huge step toward a democratic transition.” The opposition leader, who was in hiding in Venezuela for nearly a year but escaped the country last month, is expected to meet with Trump next week after offering to “share” her Nobel Prize with him. Phil Gunson of the International Crisis Group told NPR that the current government will fight to the death to prevent a democratic transition. “The biggest threat is an outbreak of democracy,” he said. “This is kryptonite for these people. Democracy will see them thrown out.” Along with the political uncertainty, Venezuelans also wondered what would happen economically if the US took over the country’s oil production as Trump has promised to do. For the past decade, Venezuelans have endured hyperinflation in the triple digits, shortages of food and medicine and the collapse of public services. About one-quarter of the population has fled the country. The economy has collapsed, say analysts, likening it to countries that have been through a war. Alexandra Arismendi, who works in a mobile phone shop at the Sambil mall in one of Caracas’s busiest shopping districts, told Al Jazeera she was frustrated with the most recent spikes in the cost of daily essentials. “Prices are high,” she said. “A carton of eggs is selling for $10, which is beyond normal.” Still, some Venezuelans have hope that things will change after the fall of Maduro, and that they will be able to speak freely and choose their own leaders in free elections. “I can’t deny that the future makes me anxious,” Daniel, a gardener who lives just outside of the capital, Caracas, told NBC News. “But I do trust that change can happen from now on.”

US Intervention In Venezuela Sparks Concern Among Allies And Rivals

US Intervention in Venezuela Sparks Alarm, Among Allies and Rivals VENEZUELA Venezuela The United States’ move to remove Venezuela’s president and “run” the country until a “proper transition” takes place sparked mix reactions in Latin America over the weekend, with some celebrating the ouster and others fearing for the stability of the region, NPR reported. Early Saturday, the US military carried out airstrikes in Caracas and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple was taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and later flown to New York, where they are expected to face federal charges, including drug trafficking, ties to narco-gangs designated as terrorist organizations, and weapons offenses, CBS News added. Following the capture, US President Donald Trump said Washington would govern Venezuela for the foreseeable future, without providing details on how or for how long. He added that the US would take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and said American energy companies would move into the country. Trump also claimed Maduro’s removal would allow hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who fled to the US to return home. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim leader shortly after Maduro’s removal. While the US has claimed the interim president will do “whatever the US asks,” Rodriguez has publicly condemned the military operation and said Maduro is the “only president.” She rejected notions that Venezuela would become “a colony of an empire,” with officials describing the attack as an attempt to steal the country’s resources, according to the BBC. But on Sunday, Rodriguez said she hopes to have a “balanced and respectful” relationship with the US “based on sovereign equality and non-interference,” CBS added. At the same time, Trump dismissed placing opposition leader and Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado as the country’s next leader, insisting that she “doesn’t have the support” within Venezuela, the Hill noted. Still, analysts said questions remain over US governance in the aftermath of the president’s removal, as Maduro’s allies retain significant influence. Saturday’s operation marked the culmination of a long-running dispute between the Trump administration and Maduro’s regime, which has faced international criticism over human rights abuses, disputed elections, and economic mismanagement. Trump has accused Maduro’s administration of fueling migration to the US and facilitating drug trafficking, including fentanyl and cocaine – claims Caracas denies. Those tensions prompted earlier US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Analysts said the operation represents Washington’s first openly acknowledged military strike against a South American government, reviving memories of US interventions in the region during the 20th century. The move sparked concern across Latin America, particularly among leftist governments that have been critical of Washington, including Cuba and Colombia, who worry that they may be next, the Washington Post reported. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the strikes as “state terrorism,” while his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro called them an “assault on sovereignty.” Petro and Trump have also traded barbs in the past over the US operations in the Caribbean. Brazilian and Mexican officials also criticized the US actions. Meanwhile, Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei – an ally of Trump – hailed the operation, writing “freedom moves forward” and “long live freedom” on social media. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa also welcomed Maduro’s arrest, as did Bolivia’s new leadership. Venezuela’s allies, Russia, China, and Iran, condemned the action and called for Maduro’s release. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was deeply concerned that “the rules of international law have not been respected.” European allies offered more cautious reactions. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his government would “shed no tears” over Maduro’s arrest, while Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that, despite Madrid’s refusal to recognize Maduro’s legitimacy, the US operation “violates international law and pushes the region toward uncertainty.”

President Maduro and His Wife Were Arrested By US Authorities And Removed To Face US Justice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8QYuG8Qb44