On the ground in Venezuela: Shock, fear and defiance
CARACAS, Venezuela — It was around 2 a.m. Saturday, Caracas time, when the detonations began, lighting up the moody sky like post-New Year fireworks.
“Ya comenzó!” “” was the recurring phrase in homes, telephone conversations and social media discussions as the latest iteration of American “shock and awe” shook the Venezuelan capital. “It has started!” »
Then the question: “¿Maduro?
The great uncertainty concerned the fate of President Nicolas Maduro, who has been under threat from the Trump administration for months.
The scenes of rejoicing of a joyful celebrating Venezuelan diaspora, from Miami to Madrid, were not repeated here. Fear of the unknown stayed at home most of the time.
Hours passed before reports from outside Venezuela confirmed that U.S. forces had captured Maduro and placed him on a U.S. ship to face criminal charges in a New York federal court.
Venezuelans watched the spectacle from home, using social media to exchange images of explosions and the sounds of bombing. It was clear that this moment marked the start of a new era of uncertainty for Venezuela, a nation reeling from a decade of economic, political and social turmoil.
Government supporters display posters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, right, and former President Hugo Chávez in downtown Caracas on Saturday.
(Matias Delacroix / Associated Press)
The end result was imponderable. But there seemed no doubt that this was a transformative moment – for better or worse.
At dawn, a worrying calm gripped the city of more than 3 million inhabitants. The explosions and drones from American planes have stopped. Power outages knocked out electricity in parts of the capital.
Pro-government youth brandishing automatic rifles set up roadblocks or sped through the streets on motorbikes, a warning to those who might celebrate Maduro’s fall.
Stores, gas stations and other businesses were mostly closed. There was little traffic.
“When I heard the explosions, I grabbed my rosary and started praying,” said Carolina Méndez, 50, who was among the few who ventured out to get medicine at a pharmacy on Saturday, when no staff had arrived to attend to customers waiting in line. “I’m very scared now. That’s why I came to buy what I need.”
A feeling of worry was pervasive.
“People are buying bottled water, milk and eggs,” said Luz Pérez, guard at one of the few open stores, not far from La Carlota airport, one of the sites targeted by the American strikes. “I heard the explosions. It was very scary. But the owner still decided to open to help people.”
Customers were allowed in three at a time. Most didn’t want to talk. Their priority was to stock up on basic necessities and return home safely.
Rumors quickly circulated that U.S. forces had taken away Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
There was no immediate official confirmation of the detention of Maduro and Flores, both wanted in the United States on drug trafficking charges – allegations Maduro has denounced as American propaganda. But then images of a seemingly captive, blindfolded Maduro in a tracksuit quickly circulated on social media.
There is no official estimate of the number of Venezuelan casualties in the U.S. raid.
Rumors have circulated that a number of Maduro’s top aides have been killed, including Diosdado Cabello, the security minister who is a staunch Maduro ally. Cabello is often the face of government.
But Cabello quickly appeared on state television to denounce the “terrorist attack against our people,” adding: “Let no one facilitate the movements of the enemy invader.”
Although Trump, during his press conference on Saturday, confidently predicted that the United States would “run” Venezuela, apparently for an indefinite transition period, it is unclear how this will be accomplished.
A key question is whether the military – long Maduro’s ally – will remain loyal now that he is in US custody. There were no public indications Saturday of mass defections from Venezuela’s armed forces. It was also not clear that Maduro’s government infrastructure had lost control of the country. State media reported declarations of loyalty from pro-government politicians and citizens across Venezuela.
In his comments, Trump spoke of a limited U.S. troop presence in Venezuela, primarily focused on protecting oil infrastructure that his administration says has been stolen from the United States — a characterization widely rejected here, even among Maduro’s critics. But Trump has given few details about sending U.S. personnel to ease what could be a tumultuous transition.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez appeared on state television and demanded the immediate release of Maduro and his wife, according to the official Telesur channel. His comments appeared to be the first official acknowledgment that Maduro had been removed.
“There is a president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro,” the vice president said in a speech from the Miraflores Palace, from where Maduro and his wife had been arrested hours earlier.
During an emergency meeting of the National Defense Council, Telesur reported, Rodríguez called the couple’s detention an “illegal kidnapping.”
The Trump administration, the vice president charged, aimed to “capture our energy, our minerals and our resources.” [other] natural resources. »
His defiant words came after Trump, during his press conference, said that Rodríguez had been sworn in as the country’s interim president and had demonstrated his willingness to cooperate with Washington.
“She’s basically willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump said.
Armed pro-government civilians patrol La Guaira, Venezuela on Saturday after President Trump announced that President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and expelled from the country.
(Matias Delacroix / Associated Press)
Somewhat surprisingly, Trump also appeared to rule out a role in an interim government for Marina Corina Machado, a Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize laureate and longtime anti-Maduro activist.
“She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have any respect in the country,” Trump said of Machado.
Machado is indeed a controversial figure within the divided Venezuelan opposition. Some oppose his open calls for American intervention, preferring a democratic change of government.
Nonetheless, his alternate candidate, Edmundo González, won the presidency in last year’s national poll, according to opposition activists and others, who say Maduro stole the election.
“Venezuelans, the moment of freedom has arrived! » Machado wrote in a letter published on X. “We have been fighting for years… What was supposed to happen is happening.”
Not everyone agreed.
“They want our oil and they say it’s theirs,” said Roberto, 65, a taxi driver who declined to give his last name for security reasons. “Venezuelans don’t agree. Yes, I think people will defend their homeland.”
Special correspondent Mogollón reported from Caracas and editor McDonnell from Boston. Special envoy Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in Mexico contributed to this project.
