Venezuela Mobilizes 4.5 Million Militiamen Amid US Threats

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced a sweeping mobilization of more than 4.5 million militiamen to cover the national territory, framed as a defense against escalating threats from the United States after Washington doubled its reward for Maduro’s arrest to 50 million and launched a regional antidrug operation in the Caribbean. Speaking on state television, Maduro said the plan would be activated this week, creating militias that are “prepared, activated, and armed” to defend sovereignty, with calls for rural and industrial participation and the pledge that “rifles and missiles for the peasant force” would be deployed to protect the country’s territory and peace.

The announcement comes amid heightened tension between Caracas and Washington. U.S. officials have cracked down on alleged narcotics trafficking in Latin America, sanctioned Maduro’s administration, and signaled a robust use of American power to curb drug cartels. The US has also deployed naval assets to the region as part of a broader counter-narcotics mission. Maduro’s government has long accused the United States of seeking to destabilize Venezuela, framing the militia expansion as a sovereign response to...