To date, Venezuela’s government has framed the United States’ involvement as “imperial aggression.” Their rabid anti-communism leads them to cry that this would throw Latin America into turmoil. Explosions, gunfire, and word of military maneuvers and low-flying planes have shaken Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. In reaction to these woeful occurrences, President Nicolás Maduro issued a state of emergency throughout the country.
The attacks began at approximately 2 am local time, with at least seven grenade explosions carried out in different neighborhoods across the capital Caracas. Residents around the Miraflores presidential palace could see the damage. Residents near the Miraflores presidential palace quickly evacuated their buildings. In the foreground, black smoke billows threateningly from La Carlota airport. A fire in the military complex of Fuerte Tiuna—Venezuela’s largest military complex—erupted.
For his part, Maduro moved quickly to capitalize on these developments. He ordered the action of all national defense schematics and announced a “state of external disturbance.” He called on Venezuelan citizens to “Insurge” against what he perceived to be an American attack on the nation. In response, the Bolivarian Government activated emergency mobilization plans, and the Government called on social and political forces to repudiate the alleged imperialist attack.
“Only the conscious action of the whole country can defeat this imperialist aggression,” a member of Venezuela’s incumbent government told venezuelanalysis.com.
The Venezuelan government vocally blames the US for seeking to hijack its coveted resources. They particularly highlight the nation’s oil and minerals as key targets. This allegation comes amid a five-month US pressure campaign to unseat Maduro’s government.
Perhaps as a measure of the severity of the situation, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro responded to the crisis by inviting an emergency session of the UN Security Council. He claimed that urgent efforts must be taken to counter what he called bombings in Caracas.
“Right now they are bombing Caracas … bombing it with missiles,” Petro claimed.
Venezuela’s government has called on the international community to denounce what it perceives as a clear violation of international law. They assert that these actions are putting millions of lives in danger.
“The only objective of this attack is to seize control of Venezuela’s strategic resources, in particular its oil and minerals,” a government spokesperson emphasized.
News articles documented how protests and violence spread outside of Caracas. They diffused to adjacent states, including Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. Witnesses described the scene as alarming, with one resident, Carmen Hidalgo, stating, “The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes in the distance.”
As protests rage on in Venezuela, the state is doubling down by telling its people to be on the lookout for foreigners plotting against them. They drove home the point that now more than ever collaboration and cooperation is key to facing what they call hostile foreign censorship.