VENEZUELA ON BRINK OF CHAOS: Maduro’s Dramatic Capture Sparks Wild Celebrations and Fierce Condemnation Across the Globe
- Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro seized by US forces in daring dawn raid and flown to warship bound for New York
- Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores also captured as Trump vows to ‘run’ Venezuela until new government is installed
- Venezuelan migrants erupt in joy, waving flags and hugging each other in streets of Mexico City, Colombia, and Peru
- But Maduro supporters lash out at ‘US interventionism’, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemning the ‘aggression against Venezuela’s sovereignty’
In a stunning turn of events, Venezuelan migrants around the world have reacted with a mix of jubilation and outrage to the dramatic capture of deposed president Nicolás Maduro by US forces. The 58-year-old strongman was seized at his home in the early hours of Saturday and flown out of the country on a US-bound warship, where he will face trial in New York on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy.
As news of the capture spread, anti-Maduro demonstrators in Mexico City took to the streets, waving Venezuelan flags and chanting slogans. Gloria Sosa, a Venezuelan living in Mexico for 18 years, was overwhelmed with emotion as she celebrated the end of the ‘narco-government’ that has plagued her homeland. ‘We feel happiness and peace,’ she exclaimed.
Similar scenes of jubilation played out in Colombia and Peru, where Venezuelans gathered in their thousands to mark the fall of the man they blame for their country’s descent into chaos. But not everyone was celebrating. Maduro supporters in Mexico City chanted slogans rejecting what they called US ‘interventionism’, with one protester, Margarett, accusing Trump of trying to ‘distract from domestic problems by killing innocent people’.
Trump, meanwhile, vowed to ‘run’ Venezuela until a new government is installed, sparking fears of a prolonged US occupation. The move has been condemned by leftist leaders across Latin America, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
As the world struggles to come to terms with the implications of Maduro’s capture, Venezuelans living in exile are daring to dream of a brighter future. Milagros Ortega, whose parents are still in Venezuela, said she hoped to return home soon. ‘Knowing that my dad was alive to see the fall of Nicolás Maduro is very emotional,’ she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
But with the US operation sparking a fierce backlash from Maduro supporters and leftist leaders, the road ahead for Venezuela remains uncertain. As one protester in Ecuador’s capital, Quito, warned: ‘Venezuelans, sooner rather than later, will return to Venezuela – to a free Venezuela, to a Venezuela that is a land of greatness.’
For now, the world waits with bated breath as the drama unfolds in Caracas. Will Maduro’s capture mark the beginning of a new era for Venezuela, or will it plunge the country deeper into chaos? Only time will tell.