Venezuela’s Maduro to mobilise millions in militia over US ‘threats’

After Washington offered a reward for his arrest and launched new antidrug operations in the Caribbean, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has pledged to mobilize more than four million militia fighters in response to new “threats” from the United States.

In a televised address on Monday, Maduro stated that “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.”

Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez established the militia, which is officially said to have about five million members, despite some analysts’ predictions that the figure is lower. There are about 30 million people in total in this nation.

Maduro denounced Washington’s “extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats.” His remarks came after US President Donald Trump’s administration increased the reward for his arrest by $50 million. He is accused of being the leader of the Cartel de los Soles, a cocaine-smuggling organization.

Maduro’s administration and the alleged cartel are currently subject to new sanctions from the US government, which refuses to acknowledge his last two election victories. There is no conclusive evidence linking Maduro to drug cartels in the US.

As part of a larger operation against Latin American drug cartels, the US military has also sent three guided missile destroyers to the southern Caribbean.

According to officials who were given details about the plan, the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson are scheduled to dock off Venezuela’s coast in days. The deployment will include approximately 4, 000 Marines and sailors.

“We are also deployed throughout the Caribbean,” said Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who spoke on the phone from his ship.

Maduro promised to use “rifles and missiles” to bolster his political base in order to support the country’s sovereignty and encourage the development of worker and peasant militias.

The Venezuelan leader criticized Washington’s rhetoric as a “rotten refrain” in spite of the mounting pressure and expressed gratitude for international voices who have criticized the US position.