Venezuela militia deployment surges as President Maduro mobilizes 4.5 million fighters in response to increased U.S. threats and drug-related sanctions
Venezuela militia deployment surged this week as President Nicolas Maduro announced plans to activate 4.5 million armed militiamen in response to renewed pressure from the United States, including a $50 million bounty on his arrest and a stepped-up military presence in the Caribbean.
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“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory — militias that are prepared, activated, and armed,” Maduro declared Monday during a televised address.
Officially created by his predecessor Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s militia force is claimed to consist of about 5 million people.
However, independent observers estimate the real number to be significantly lower. Venezuela’s total population is roughly 30 million.
Maduro’s response comes after the U.S. under former President Donald Trump renewed efforts to bring him to justice.
The Trump administration recently doubled the bounty for his capture to $50 million, accusing the Venezuelan leader of leading a major cocaine trafficking network, Cartel de los Soles.
The U.S. also launched anti-narcotics operations in the southern Caribbean, a move that Maduro’s government views as an escalating provocation.
Maduro fiercely criticized what he described as “bizarre and outlandish” threats from Washington.
In response, he called on Venezuela’s working class and rural populations to build armed militias within their communities and industries.
“Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela,” he proclaimed.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello added that the country’s forces are on high alert and deployed across Venezuelan maritime zones.
Although Maduro avoided directly naming recent U.S. actions, he thanked Venezuela’s allies for their expressions of solidarity and warned of continued foreign “provocations.”
The Venezuela militia deployment is widely seen as a strategic show of force and internal loyalty amid mounting international isolation.
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Analysts suggest that mobilizing the militia may also serve to suppress dissent and consolidate Maduro’s grip ahead of Venezuela’s upcoming elections.
Source: Read more at thecable.ng
Peculiar Adirika is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
