West African juntas condemn US ‘aggression’ in Venezuela

The ruling juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger on Thursday condemned the US toppling of president Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, with which they have close ties, calling it an “act of aggression”.

The Alliance of Sahel States, a bloc launched in 2023 by the trio of military-ruled west African countries, “strongly condemns” Maduro’s ouster, “which violated international law”, it said in a statement.

The three countries, whose leaders took power in a series of coups from 2020 to 2023, have strained relations with the West, especially former colonial power France, and have cultivated close ties with Russia and also Venezuela.

They called on the United Nations Security Council to condemn the US intervention and work to restore “international legality” in Venezuela.

The statement was signed by Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, the alliance’s current president, who had a warm meeting with Maduro in Moscow last year on the sidelines of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany.

It called US President Donald Trump’s decision to capture Maduro “unacceptable interference” and an “act of aggression”, voicing “solidarity with the Venezuelan people, whose sovereignty has been trampled upon”.

US special forces seized Maduro and his wife on Saturday in a lightning raid in Caracas and whisked them to New York to face trial on drug and weapons charges.

The longtime leftist leader pleaded not guilty in a defiant court appearance on Monday, saying he had been “kidnapped”.

AFP

The post West African juntas condemn US ‘aggression’ in Venezuela appeared first on Vanguard News.