Global condemnation grows over US strikes in Venezuela

By Paul Dada

World leaders and governments have reacted strongly on Saturday to reports that the United States carried out military strikes inside Venezuela.

They are also appalled by the claims of  U.S President Donald Trump that the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country.

In response to the strikes, which reportedly included multiple explosions around the Venezuelan capital Caracas,  Venezuela’s government  had declared a national state of emergency and condemned what it described as “extremely serious military aggression by the United States.”

In an official statement, the Venezuelan government said it “rejects, repudiates and denounces” the U.S. action as a violation of international law and a threat to regional peace and stability. “This act… threatens international peace and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean,” the statement said.

Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof of life for President Maduro and his wife on state television, saying their current whereabouts remain unknown after the reported capture by U.S. forces.
CBS News

In his reaction, Colombian President Gustavo Petro took to social media to denounce the strikes, writing that they were an attack on Venezuela and urging international bodies to act. “Peace, respect for international law, and protection of human dignity must prevail,” he said.

Cuba’s government also condemned the strikes, characterising them as state terrorism and demanding a forceful international reaction to what it called unlawful use of force.
Reacting to the strikes, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement labeling the U.S. military strikes as a blatant breach of Venezuela’s sovereignty and a violation of the U.N. Charter, urging global condemnation of the action.
Asianet Newsable

The U.S., however, justified the operations framing them around accusations of narco-terrorism and threats posed by Maduro’s government.