Venezuela decries ‘cowardly kidnapping’ as officials back Maduro

Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has denounced the United States’ determination to abduct person Nicolas Maduro arsenic a “cowardly kidnapping”, adding that immoderate of the president’s bodyguards were killed “in acold blood”, arsenic good arsenic subject unit and civilians connected the Venezuelan side.

In his televised connection connected Sunday, Padrino Lopez besides endorsed a Supreme Court ruling that appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez — who besides serves arsenic lipid curate — arsenic acting president for 90 days.

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US President Donald Trump threatened that Rodriguez volition wage a “very large price” if she doesn’t cooperate with Washington. “If she doesn’t bash what’s right, she is going to wage a precise large price, astir apt bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic successful a telephone interview.

US forces attacked Caracas successful the aboriginal hours of Saturday, bombing subject targets and spiriting distant Maduro and his woman to look national narco-trafficking charges successful New York. The Venezuelan president was escorted disconnected a level astatine Stewart Air National Guard Base successful New York authorities and taken to a Brooklyn jail.

He is owed to marque his archetypal quality connected Monday successful Manhattan’s national court.

US to usage lipid blockade to leverage alteration successful Venezuela

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio connected Sunday suggested that Washington would not instrumentality a day-to-day relation successful governing Venezuela different than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine”, utilizing that leverage to property argumentation changes successful the country.

Rubio’s statements seemed designed to temper concerns, a time aft Trump announced the US would “run” the oil-rich nation. The Trump administration’s actions drew unease from parts of his ain Republican Party coalition, including an “America First” basal that is opposed to overseas interventions, arsenic good arsenic from observers who recalled past nation-building efforts successful Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rubio dismissed specified criticism, saying that Trump’s intent had been misunderstood by a “foreign argumentation establishment” that was fixated connected the Middle East.

Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle, reporting from Doral, Florida successful the US, said Trump had been elected connected an “America First” argumentation centred astir nary engagement successful overseas wars oregon sending US work unit into danger.

“Now we’ve got this concern wherever helium said, little than 24 hours ago, ‘We’re not acrophobic of putting boots connected the ground,’” Lavelle said.

Protests took spot successful cities crossed the US against Trump’s subject enactment successful Venezuela. Hundreds gathered successful the rainfall successful downtown Los Angeles, carrying signs saying “Stop bombing Venezuela now!” and “No humor for oil”.

“I basal against US imperialism altogether. They privation lipid … They privation to assistance the firm billionaires. Bombing is conscionable their means to gathering powerfulness similar that, of taking control. So again, I’m against it,” said 1 protester named Niven.

Trump connected Saturday delivered a code successful which helium made small notation of the alleged “war connected drugs” – which for months had been his main justification for bombing Venezuelan vessel and assets – but argued that Venezuela had “stolen” lipid from the US and that it would present beryllium taken back.

The United Nations peculiar rapporteur connected quality rights and counterterrorism, Ben Saul, said the US actions successful Venezuela were illegal, calling connected Trump to beryllium investigated and impeached. “Every Venezuelan beingness mislaid is simply a usurpation of the close to life. President Trump should beryllium impeached and investigated for the alleged killings,” helium said successful a societal media post.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) was acceptable to conscionable connected Monday to sermon the concern successful Venezuela. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said helium was “deeply alarmed” by the US strikes, which a spokesperson said could “constitute a unsafe precedent”.

Uncertainty successful Venezuela aft Maduro’s abduction

Some Venezuelans successful Caracas person welcomed the US’s seizure of Maduro, but others said the enactment could worsen struggle successful the country, with protests denouncing the US taking place.

“There should beryllium a affirmative alteration for each Venezuelans, due to the fact that it has been 28 years of government, and present is the clip for modulation successful this country,” said Ronald Gaulee, a motorcycle rider successful Caracas.

Merchant Juan Carlos Rincon was much cautious. “The information is that determination is simply a batch of manipulation down each this,” helium told the Reuters quality agency. “We privation to beryllium astatine peace, determination forward, and for Venezuela to have, similar immoderate different country, the close to take its ain destiny and its ain leaders.”

Baker Franklin Jimenez said helium would heed the government’s telephone to support the country. “If they took him away, I deliberation they shouldn’t person done so, due to the fact that this volition make an adjacent worse struggle than the 1 we person now,” helium said. “And arsenic for the bombings and each that, we person to spell out, we each person to spell retired into the streets to support our homeland, to support ourselves.”

Some Venezuelans decided to fly the state amid the uncertainty, crossing the Venezuela-Colombia borderline to scope the Colombian municipality of Cucuta. Karina Rey described a “tense situation” successful the Venezuelan metropolis of San Cristobal, conscionable crossed the border.

“There are agelong lines, and radical are precise paranoid, oregon connected edge, implicit food. Supermarkets are closing,” Rey told Al Jazeera. “The lines are precise agelong conscionable to banal up connected food, due to the fact that we don’t cognize what volition hap successful the coming weeks. We’re waiting to spot what happens.”

Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti, reporting from Cucuta, said galore Venezuelans determination initially felt jubilant aft Maduro was ousted. “But that rapidly shifted to uncertainty,” helium said.

“Several radical said they expected the United States to instantly bring absorption person Maria Corina Machado backmost into the country, on with Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who galore Venezuelans judge won the past statesmanlike election,” Rampietti continued.

“Instead, with overmuch of the existing enactment inactive successful spot and with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez appointed arsenic interim leader, determination is increasing fearfulness astir what could hap next.”

Tiziano Breda, a elder expert astatine the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, said what happens adjacent hinges connected the effect of Venezuela’s authorities and equipped forces.

“So far, they’ve avoided nonstop confrontation with US forces, but deployments connected the streets constituent to efforts to incorporate unrest,” helium said. “A creaseless modulation remains unlikely, and the hazard of absorption from pro-regime equipped groups – including elements wrong the subject and Colombian rebel networks progressive successful the state – remains high.”