The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Ousted Maduro pleads not guilty to U.S. narcotics charges

    Ousted Maduro pleads not guilty to U.S. narcotics charges

    • Case adjourned till March 17

    Toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty yesterday to narcotics charges after President Donald Trump’s stunning capture of him rattled world leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling to respond.

    Maduro, 63, pleaded innocent in New York federal court to four criminal counts: narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

    “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” Maduro said through an interpreter, before being cut off by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

    Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty. The next court date was set for March 17. Dozens of protesters, both pro- and anti-Maduro, gathered outside the courthouse before the half-hour hearing.

    He is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network that partnered with violent groups including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombian FARC rebels and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.

    Maduro has long denied the allegations, saying they were a mask for imperialist designs on Venezuela’s rich oil reserves.

    This came as Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister Delcy Rodriguez was formally sworn in yesterday as the country’s interim president.

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    Rodriguez, a 56-year-old labour lawyer known for close connections to the private sector and her devotion to the ruling party, was sworn in by her brother Jorge, who is the head of the national assembly legislature.

    Trump has made no secret of wanting to share in Venezuela’s oil riches. U.S. oil companies’ shares jumped yesterday, fueled by the prospect of access to its vast reserves.

    While world leaders and U.S. politicians grappled with the extraordinary seizure of a head of state, an emergency order in Venezuela, published in full yesterday, ordered police to search and capture anyone who supported Saturday’s U.S. attack.

    At the United Nations, the Security Council debated the implications of the raid, which was condemned by Russia, China and leftist allies of Venezuela.

    UN chief Antonio Guterres raised concerns about instability in Venezuela and the legality of Trump’s strike, the most dramatic U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion. U.S. Special Forces swooped into Caracas by helicopter on Saturday, shattered his security cordon and dragged him from the threshold of a safe room.

    Yesterday morning, Maduro – his hands zip-tied – and his wife were escorted by armed guards in tactical gear from a Brooklyn detention centre to a helicopter bound for the Manhattan federal court.

    The judge began the hearing at 12:02 p.m. (1702 GMT) by summarising the charges in the indictment. Maduro, in orange and beige prison garb, listened on headphones through an interpreter.

    Hellerstein asked Maduro to stand and confirm his identity. He replied in Spanish.

    The judge told the couple of their right to inform the Venezuelan consulate of their arrests.

    Prosecutors say Maduro has been involved in drug trafficking from the time he began serving in Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2000 to his tenure as foreign minister and subsequent 2013 election as the late president Hugo Chavez’s successor.

    Maduro lawyer Barry Pollack said he anticipated voluminous and complex litigation over what he called his client’s “military abduction.” He said Maduro was not requesting his release but may later.

    Flores’s lawyer, Mark Donnelly, said she sustained significant injuries including severe bruising on her ribs and asked that she be provided X-rays and a physical evaluation.

    Federal prosecutors in New York first indicted Maduro in 2020 as part of a long-running narcotics trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas. An updated indictment made public on Saturday added some new details and co-defendants, including Cilia Flores.

    The U.S. has considered Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.

    Experts in international law have questioned the legality of the raid, with some condemning Trump’s actions as a repudiation of a rules-based international order.

    In Caracas, senior officials from Maduro’s 13-year-old government remain in charge of the South American oil producer of 30 million people, first spitting defiance then pivoting to possible cooperation with the Trump administration.

    American oil companies will return to Venezuela and rebuild the sector’s infrastructure, Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.

    “We’re taking back what they stole,” Trump said. “We’re in charge.”

    However, four oil industry executives said the Trump administration did not consult major U.S. companies Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), ConocoPhillips (COP.N) or Chevron Corp (CVX.N), before or after U.S. forces seized Maduro.

    U.S. oil executives were expected to meet Trump administration officials on the Venezuela plan, an oil industry source said.

    Venezuela has the world’s largest reserves – about 303 billion barrels – but the sector has long been in decline from mismanagement, under-investment and U.S. sanctions, averaging 1.1 million bpd output last year, a third of its 1970s heyday.

    After first denouncing Maduro’s capture as a colonial oil-grab and “kidnapping,” Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, softened her stance on Sunday, saying it was a priority to have respectful relations with Washington.

    “We invite the U.S. government to work together on an agenda of cooperation,” Rodriguez said. “President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”

    Trump has threatened another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with opening its oil industry and stopping drugs. Trump also threatened Colombia and Mexico on Sunday and said Cuba’s communist government “looks like it’s ready to fall”.

    Just how the U.S. would work with a post-Maduro government, full of sworn ideological enemies, is unclear. Trump appears to have sidelined for now the Venezuelan opposition, where many anti-Maduro activists had assumed this would be their moment.

    Rodriguez, daughter of a leftist guerrilla who has been praised as a “tigress” by Maduro, is also known as a pragmatist with good connections in the private sector and a belief in economic orthodoxy.

    Washington’s allies, most of whom did not recognize Maduro as president due to vote-rigging allegations, have been more muted, stressing the need for dialogue and adherence to law.

    Trump’s raid has created a political storm in the U.S., with opposition Democrats saying they were misled. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to brief top lawmakers later yesterday.

    One in three Americans approve of the strike on Venezuela that toppled the country’s president and 72% worry the U.S. will become too involved in the South American country, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded yesterday.

    While a handful of conservative figures have criticized the Venezuela operation as a betrayal of Trump’s “America First” pledge to avoid foreign entanglements, most supporters have largely praised it as a swift, painless win.

    Inside Venezuela, Maduro opponents have kept celebrations on hold as his allies remain in power and there is no sign of the military turning against them, even though many suspect some insiders helped in Saturday’s operation.

  • UN chief raises concerns about instability in Venezuela

    UN chief raises concerns about instability in Venezuela

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised concerns yesterday about greater instability in Venezuela after the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro, while the United States said it does not plan to occupy the Latin American country.

    The 15-member Security Council met at UN headquarters in New York just hours before Maduro was due to appear in a Manhattan federal court on drug charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied any criminal involvement.

    “I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted,” Guterres said in a statement delivered to the council by U.N. political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo.

    U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told the Security Council the United States carried out “a surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the U.S. military against two indicted fugitives of American justice,” referring to Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

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    “As Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio has said, there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country,” said Waltz, as he laid out the U.S. case against Maduro at the Security Council.

    “We’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be used as a base of operation for our nation’s adversaries,” Waltz said. “You cannot continue to have the largest energy reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States, under the control of illegitimate leaders, and not benefiting the people of Venezuela.”

    Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada called the U.S. operation to capture Maduro “an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification.” Moncada told the council that Venezuelan institutions are functioning normally, constitutional order has been preserved, and the state exercises effective control over all of its territory.

    Guterres called on all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive and democratic dialogue, adding: “I welcome and am ready to support all efforts aimed at assisting Venezuelans in finding a peaceful way forward.”

    Guterres also expressed concern that the U.S. operation to capture Maduro in Caracas on Saturday did not respect the rules of international law. The U.N. Charter states that members “shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”

    The United States has cited Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, which says that nothing “shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations.”

    Russia, China and Colombia condemned the U.S. military operation as illegal. Most remaining council members did not directly criticise the United States and instead stated the importance of abiding by international law and the U.N. Charter.

    “Unintelligible murmurings and attempts to avoid principled assessments by those who in other circumstances froth at the mouth and demand that others respect the U.N. Charter today seem particularly hypocritical and unseemly,” said Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia.

    Russia has been denounced by the United Nations for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

    Colombia, which requested yesterday’s meeting, condemned the U.S. operation as a clear violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela. Russia, China and Venezuela called on the United States to release Maduro and his wife.

    The United States cannot be held accountable by the U.N. Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, for any such violation. The United States wields a veto – along with Russia, China, Britain and France – so it can block any action.

  • Guinea’s top court validates Doumbouya’s victory

    Guinea’s top court validates Doumbouya’s victory

    Guinea’s Supreme Court has validated results showing a landslide election win for coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, clearing the way for the former special forces commander to serve a seven-year term as president.

    The court also said late on Sunday the second-place finisher, Abdoulaye Yero Balde, had dropped his legal challenge to the result, which was condemned by opposition supporters online. Balde did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Doumbouya, thought to be in his early 40s, seized power in Guinea, a West African nation rich in bauxite and iron ore, in a 2021 coup, toppling then-president Alpha Conde. On New Year’s Eve, Conde gave a speech dismissing the vote as a “masquerade”.

    The court’s validation, required after every vote, confirmed provisional results that said Doumbouya had secured 86.72% of the vote in the December 28 election against a fragmented field of eight challengers.

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    In a short speech after the ruling, Doumbouya called on “all the daughters and sons of our nation, both here and in the diaspora, to come together to build a new Guinea”.

    The results showed Balde, the leader of the opposition Democratic Front of Guinea, came in second with 6.59% of the vote.

    He had asked the Supreme Court to annul the provisional results, saying the vote count was not transparent and that representatives of his party had been expelled from some polling stations.

    The U.S. embassy in Guinea congratulated Doumbouya and said Washington was looking forward to strengthening ties and advancing economic stability.

  • Pentagon moves to punish Democratic senator over ‘seditious video’

    Pentagon moves to punish Democratic senator over ‘seditious video’

    The Pentagon has announced move to demote Democratic Senator and former Navy Captain Mark Kelly, with a reduction in pension, over a video the department described as “seditious”.

    “Senator Mark Kelly – and five other members of Congress – released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline,” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X.

    The Arizona senator was one of six Democratic lawmakers who released a video urging military members to refuse unlawful orders, following U.S. strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.

    Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut, called Hegseth’s action “outrageous” and “un-American”.

    He has 30 days to submit an official response to the Pentagon’s notice, according to Hegseth’s tweet yesterday morning.

    “As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people – expect justice,” Hegseth wrote in his statement on X.

    Hegseth said the department had initiated retirement-grade determination proceedings, where a reduction in Kelly’s retired grade would result in a reduction in retired pay.

    “If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defence in our country’s history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it,” Kelly wrote on X yesterday.

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    “I will fight this with everything I’ve got – not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government.”

    The controversy stems from a video released last November where Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers who had also served in the military or intelligence told US service members that they “can refuse illegal orders”.

    It was released amid rising questions of legality regarding American strikes on alleged narco-trafficking boats off the coast of South America.

    Kelly says in the video: “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.”

    “Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this constitution. Right now, the threats coming to our constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home.”

    Trump reacted to the video in a series of Truth Social posts, accusing the lawmakers of “seditious behaviour at the highest level”.

    Shortly after, the Trump administration announced it was opening a review of Kelly’s conduct under military law.

    Kelly, a highly decorated retired Navy captain, who served for more than two decades and deployed multiple times, then responded saying: “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work.”

    Experts say even though Kelly retired from the military, he is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) – a federal law enacted by Congress in 1951 that subjects members of the military to a special set of rules.

    But legal analysts have questioned the Pentagon’s authority to punish a sitting member of Congress for political speech, though the department maintains retired officers remain subject to certain aspects.

  • Venezuela orders nationwide manhunt for supporters of Maduro’s arrest

    Venezuela orders nationwide manhunt for supporters of Maduro’s arrest

    Venezuelan authorities have been ordered to find and arrest anyone involved in supporting the military operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.

    A state of emergency decree issued Saturday, but published yesterday, orders police to “immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States,” according to the text of the decree, Reuters reported.

    It was not clear what charges could be levied against those taken into custody.

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    Maduro made his first court appearance yesterday in New York, days after he and his wife were arrested by U.S. forces over the weekend.

    Both have been charged by the Justice Department with narco-terrorism and other offenses.

    “I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is written here,” Maduro said in court as the charges against him were read.

    In Maduro’s absence, Delcy Rodríguez, his former number two, has been sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela. Rodriguez, 56, has long been a confidant and backer of Maduro.

    She was the country’s vice president from 2018 through Sunday.

    Despite denouncing the U.S. military operation, Rodriguez said in a Sunday social media post that the country aspires towards balanced and respectful international relations between Caracas and Washington.

    “We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” she wrote.

  • US denies war with Venezuela, imposes oil quarantine over security threats

    US denies war with Venezuela, imposes oil quarantine over security threats

    The United States has denied being at war with Venezuela, stating that it is instead enforcing a broad oil quarantine and targeted law enforcement actions aimed at combating drug trafficking, foreign influence, and what it describes as threats to U.S. national security.

    U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, made the clarification during a series of interviews on Sunday, according to a statement. 

    He said Washington is applying what he described as “crippling leverage” through sanctions and court-authorised seizures of Venezuelan oil shipments to pressure authorities in Caracas.

    Rubio explained that the policy followed the recent arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were taken into U.S. custody in what he described as a limited law enforcement operation rather than a military invasion.

    According to him, the United States is enforcing a quarantine on Venezuelan oil, allowing American authorities to seize sanctioned vessels entering or leaving Venezuelan waters.

    “What we are running is the direction this is going to move,” Rubio said, stressing that the United States is not occupying Venezuela but is shaping outcomes through economic pressure.

    He accused Venezuela of becoming a hub for drug trafficking, armed gangs, and foreign actors such as Iran and Hezbollah, which he said pose a direct threat to the United States and the wider hemisphere.

    Responding to questions on the legal basis for the actions, Rubio said U.S. courts had authorised the seizures.

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    “These are sanctioned boats. We go to court, we get orders, and we seize them,” he said, adding that the operation leading to Maduro’s arrest did not require congressional approval because it was a targeted law enforcement mission.

    Rubio also rejected claims that Washington is “running Venezuela,” insisting that the U.S. is merely implementing policies designed to protect its national interests.

    He confirmed that there are no U.S. troops stationed in Venezuela, aside from a brief operation lasting a few hours during Maduro’s arrest. He added that President Donald Trump retains all military options but has not ordered an occupation or long-term deployment.

    “We are not at war with Venezuela. We are at war with drug trafficking organisations,” Rubio said.

    The Secretary of State outlined conditions under which U.S. pressure could be eased, including the dismantling of drug trafficking routes through Venezuela, the removal of Iranian and Hizballah influence, and reforms in the oil sector to ensure revenues benefit ordinary Venezuelans rather than what he described as corrupt elites.

    According to Rubio, Washington would judge Venezuelan authorities based on their actions, not public statements.

    “We are not reacting to press conferences. We are reacting to what happens,” he said.

    While confirming that Chevron remains the only U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela, Rubio said Western firms could return if meaningful reforms are implemented. He noted that U.S. Gulf Coast refineries are well suited for Venezuelan heavy crude and that a restructured oil industry could generate revenue for citizens.

    On calls for immediate elections, Rubio said such expectations were unrealistic given years of political crisis, reiterating U.S. support for a democratic transition while stressing that security and national interest concerns remain the immediate priority.

    “Our number one objective is America, but we want a better future for the people of Venezuela as well,” he said.

  • North Korea launches missiles into sea

    North Korea launches missiles into sea

    North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters yesterday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

    The statement said several ballistic missile launches were detected from North Korea’s capital region early yesterday, adding that the missiles flew about 900 kilometres and that South Korea and US authorities were analysing details of the launches.

    South Korea’s Defence Ministry noted the launches violated UN Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea. It urged North Korea to cease provocative actions immediately and respond to South Korea’s push to restart talks and restore peace on the Korean Peninsula.

    The launches came hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed for China for a summit with President Xi Jinping. During the four-day trip, Lee’s office said he would request China, North Korea’s major ally and biggest trading partner, to take “a constructive role” in efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

    Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that at least two missile launches by North Korea had been confirmed. “They are a serious problem, threatening the peace and security of our nation, the region and the world,” Koizumi told reporters.

    The launches were the latest weapons demonstration by North Korea in recent weeks. Experts say North Korea is aiming to show off or review its achievements in the defence sector ahead of its upcoming ruling party congress, the first of its kind in five years.

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    Observers are watching the Workers Party congress to see whether North Korea will set a new policy on the US and resume long-stalled talks between the two countries.

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also boosted his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war in Ukraine and tightening relations with China. Observers say Kim would believe his leverage has sharply increased to wrest concessions from Trump if they sit down for talks again.

    North Korea hasn’t announced when it will hold the congress, but South Korea’s spy service said it will likely occur in January or February.

    South Korea and the US have long asked China to exercise its influence on North Korea to persuade it to return to talks or give up its nuclear programme. But there are questions on how big of a leverage China has on its neighbour. China, together with Russia, has also repeatedly blocked the US and others’ attempts to toughen economic sanctions on North Korea in recent years.

  • Iran protests: Rioters must be put in their place, Khamenei warns

    Iran protests: Rioters must be put in their place, Khamenei warns

    Iran’s supreme leader has asserted that “rioters must be put in their place”, following a week of protests that have rattled the Islamic Republic, a stance widely seen as signalling tougher action by security forces to quell the unrest.

    The remarks, the first by 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the demonstrations began, come amid escalating violence linked to protests driven by Iran’s struggling economy.

    Human rights activists say at least 15 people have been killed. The unrest shows no sign of abating and follows a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”

    While it remains unclear whether or how Trump might intervene, his comments triggered an immediate and angry reaction from Iranian officials, with figures in the theocracy threatening to target American troops in the Middle East.

    The statements also gained added significance after Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. military had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of Tehran.

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    The current demonstrations are the largest Iran has seen since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide protests. However, they have not yet matched the scale or intensity of the unrest that followed Amini’s death after she was detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab in line with official expectations.

    Shopkeepers close their businesses during a protest against rising prices and market instability driven by a rapid increase in foreign exchange rates.

    State television broadcast Khamenei’s address to an audience in Tehran, in which he sought to draw a distinction between Iranians protesting economic hardship, including the collapse of the rial, and what he described as “rioters”.

    “We talk to protesters, the officials must talk to them,” Khamenei said. “But there is no benefit to talking to rioters. Rioters must be put in their place.”

    He also repeated a long-standing claim by Iranian authorities that foreign powers such as Israel and the United States were fomenting the protests, offering no evidence to support the allegation. In addition, he blamed “the enemy” for the sharp fall in the value of Iran’s currency.

  • 974 Nigerians await deportation from Canada

    974 Nigerians await deportation from Canada

     No fewer than 974 Nigerians are awaiting deportation in Canada, it was learnt yesterday.

    They are said to be currently in the “removal-in-progress” queue, awaiting deportation.

    The Canadian authorities deported 366 Nigerians between January and October 2025.

    About 83% of those deported are failed refugee claimants, while criminality accounts for roughly 4%. Under Canadian law, anyone with an enforceable removal order must be deported.

    Outside the United Kingdom and the United States, Canada remains a major destination for Nigerians, with over 71,000 Nigerians gaining citizenship between 2005 and 2024, and thousands more arriving yearly as students, workers, and permanent residents.

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    Data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) showed that Nigeria is the only African country on the list of 10 nationalities deported in 2025 occupying the ninth position.

    Canada is carrying out an aggressive nationwide crackdown. Canada now deports nearly 400 people weekly, removing 18,048 foreign nationals in the 2024–2025 fiscal year at a cost of about $78 million.

    Authorities say the push is aimed at tightening immigration targets and easing pressure on housing, jobs, and border security, backing the effort with an extra $30.5 million for removals and $1.3 billion for border enforcement.

    Immigration lawyers warn deportations could rise further if Bill C-12 is passed, potentially imposing permanent bans on some refugee claims.

  • Rodriguez is Venezuela’s interim leader

    Rodriguez is Venezuela’s interim leader

    VENEZUELAN Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez has been appointed interim leader by her country’s high court following the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro in a United States military raid on Caracas.

    Speaking on state TV on Saturday, she insisted: “There is only one president in Venezuela and his name is Nicolas Maduro Moros.” She called on the United States to release him.

    Maduro landed at a small New York airport on Saturday afternoon following the middle-of-the-night operation that abducted him and his wife Cilia Flores from their home in a military base in Caracas.

    A White House social-media video showed Maduro smiling defiantly while being escorted through a Drug Enforcement Administration office with two of the agency’s operatives grasping his arms.

    The U.S. administration accuses the couple of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    However, U.S. President Donald Trump told a Mar-a-Lago news conference of plans to exploit Maduro’s removal to “fix” Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    Trump claimed that the U.S. government was helping to govern Venezuela, though there were no immediately visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro coverage and broadcast live images of his supporters taking to the streets of Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” the US president said.

    He claimed that Ms Rodriguez would collaborate with the U.S. plans, saying that she was “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” though she has given no indication that this is true.

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in the US in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges.

    The U.S. Justice Department issued a new indictment of the presidential couple on Saturday that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fuelled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the US with cocaine.

    ECOWAS, AU

    express concern over U.S. actions

    Reactions have continued to trail the United States military operation that reportedly led to the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yesterday expressed concern over the development, while urging respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    The regional bloc said it fully aligned with the African Union’s statement issued on January 3, 2026, which called for restraint and inclusive dialogue among Venezuelans.

    In a statement, ECOWAS acknowledged the right of states to combat international crimes such as terrorism and drug trafficking, but cautioned that such actions must be conducted in line with international law.

    U.S. President Donald Trump had announced that American forces captured President Maduro and his wife following several rocket strikes on Caracas early Saturday.

    “The Economic Community of West African States has followed with concern recent developments in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” the statement said.

    “While it recognises the right of states to fight international crimes, including terrorism and drug trafficking, ECOWAS wishes to remind the international community of their obligation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other, as enshrined in international law, especially Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter.”

    “ECOWAS reiterates its solidarity with the people of Venezuela and urges all states to respect the independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela,” the statement added.

    Earlier, the African Union had also expressed concern over the reported invasion of Venezuela by the United States.

    In a communiqué, the AU underscored the importance of dialogue, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for constitutional and institutional frameworks, in the spirit of good neighbourliness, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence among nations.

    The continental body stressed that Venezuela’s complex internal challenges could only be sustainably resolved through inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves.

    European leaders differ on Maduro’s arrest

    European leaders emerged divided and torn as they tried to welcome the ejection of Venezuela’s authoritarian president, but still uphold the principles of international law that did not appear to allow Donald Trump to capture Nicolás Maduro, let alone declare that the U.S. will run Venezuela and control its oil industry.

    Europe tried to focus on the principle of a democratic transition, pointing out that the continent had not recognised Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela after what they regarded as fraudulent elections in June 2024.

    But, Trump’s rejection of the Nobel prize-winning Venezuelan opposition figurehead, María Corina Machado, was awkward. Trump said she did not have support or respect in Venezuela, but European leaders have embraced her as leading an opposition that deserves power.

    International lawyers say the U.S. rejection of Maduro’s legitimacy opens a path for Washington to argue that he does not enjoy sovereign immunity as a head of state in the U.S. domestic courts, in the same way that George Bush was allowed to try Manuel Noriega in the U.S. after his capture in 1989.

    U.S. officials have claimed the operation against Venezuela was justified on the grounds of self-defence, arguing that the government was involved in drug-trafficking.

    The Yale professor of international law Oona Hathaway, however, said she saw no plausible justification under the UN charter for the U.S. use of force. “If drug trafficking is a reasonable justification for attacking another country then a whole range of possible arguments can be made that basically mean that self-defence is no longer a real exception. It’s the new rule.”

    In a sign of Europe’s discomfort, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, one of the 10 non-permanent countries on the UN security council, tried to close down discussion of Trump’s methods. “Nicolás Maduro presided over a brutal and repressive dictatorship that brought about unimaginable suffering on the Venezuelan people. The end of his regime offers new hope for the country,” he wrote on social media, adding that “this is not the time to comment on the legality of the recent actions”.

    The closer ideological allies of Trump in Europe, such as the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, deemed the US operation legitimate, describing it as a “defensive intervention”.

    Criticism from others was possibly muffled for fear of attracting Trump’s displeasure when his support for Ukraine is still considered vital. The EU foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, said: “The EU has repeatedly stated that Maduro lacks legitimacy, and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN charter must be respected. We call for restraint.”

    The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, also focused on what might happen next. “We stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people and support a peaceful and democratic transition. Any solution must respect international law and the charter of the United Nations,” she said.

    The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, also dived for cover. “The legal assessment of the US intervention is complex and requires careful consideration,” he said.

    France too was circumspect. Without mentioning the US military operation, Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that the end of the “Maduro dictatorship” was something the Venezuelan people could “only rejoice in”, and called for a “peaceful and democratic transition” led by Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate for the 2024 presidential election. In an act of solidarity he also spoke to Machado.

    ‘Trump’s strike risks unleashing global chaos’                   

    Democratic Senate Intel Committee Vice Chair Sen. Mark Warner warned that Donald Trump’s Venezuela strike risks unleashing global chaos.

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    In a blistering statement responding to U.S. military action targeting Venezuela, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s vice chairman warned that this isn’t about strength or justice. It’s about shredding the Constitution and lighting a match under the global rulebook.

    Warner reminded the country that the Constitution gives Congress — not one impulsive president — the authority to decide when America goes to war.

    “Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike,” Warner reminded Americans.

    The Democratic Senator then pointed out exactly what some of those consequences could be.

    Nicolas Maduro’s first words at New York detention centre

    “Good night. Happy New Year,” a shackled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday, ending his silence after being ambushed.

    He spoke whilst being escorted to his cell by several Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers at a detention centre in Brooklyn, New York – reportedly the same facility that previously held notorious figures such as Sam Bankman-Fried, reports the Express US.

    Maduro is due to appear before a federal court during the week where he will face numerous charges concerning narcotics trafficking and unlawful arms dealing.

    According to CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller, the booking procedure had already begun before the Venezuelan president and his wife Cilia Flores stepped off the plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York.”

    Miller explained that their biometrics, fingerprints, and photos would be collected before their details are entered into the U.S. Customs and Border Protection system.

    He further stated that the couple would need to undergo medical examinations prior to being taken to the Metropolitan Detention Centre. Here, they will be arrested again before their arraignment, “which will likely be on Monday (today).”

    An official from law enforcement, who has been briefed on the situation, revealed that Flores is still undergoing additional medical checks in a hangar.

    The New York Police Department confirmed that Maduro arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn just before 9pm, having been flown by helicopter to Manhattan and then escorted by a convoy of law enforcement vehicles.