Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced he would mobilise more than 4.5 million militia members to defend the country against what he called renewed “threats” from the United States, after Washington raised its bounty for his arrest.
“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 said during a televised address on Monday.
Officially created under the late president Hugo Chavez, the militia is claimed to number approximately 5 million members, although analysts say the actual figure is far smaller. Venezuela’s population is approximately 30 million.
Washington’s threats
Maduro railed against what he called the “extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats” from Washington.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration doubled its bounty for Maduro’s capture to $50 million, citing drug-trafficking charges. US officials accuse him of running the so-called Cartel de los Soles, a powerful cocaine network embedded in Venezuela’s military.
The US military has also deployed naval assets to the southern Caribbean as part of its anti-narcotics crackdown.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Caracas has responded by deploying forces “throughout the Caribbean… in our sea, our property, Venezuelan territory.”
Without directly mentioning the latest US moves, Maduro thanked allies for their support in the face of what he described as Washington’s “rotten refrain of threats.”
He also called on his political base to strengthen grassroots armed units, including peasant and worker militias, declaring: “Rifles and missiles for the peasant force — to defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela.”
