Venezuela responds to US: 4.5 million militiamen deployed in the Caribbean

Nicolas Maduro has announced the deployment of four and a half million militiamen to the Caribbean. "A response to US threats," the Venezuelan leader stated on television, without however going into further detail. Hugo Chavez 's heir apparent has decided to raise his voice. And it's not just because of the $50 million bounty Washington has placed on his head, but above all because of intelligence information on the arrival of a massive contingent of US military forces in the area. This operation was reportedly ordered by the White House to combat drug trafficking, as Maduro is accused of leading a drug trafficking ring known as the Cartel of the Suns. These accusations have also led to a series of new sanctions against the South American country.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (AFP)

July 16, 2025

But it certainly isn't lost on anyone that, ahead of its general elections on September 1st, Guyana has already planned to strengthen security in the Essequibo, an area of just under 150,000 square kilometers, rich in oil and minerals. A disputed territory, which Caracas unilaterally annexed, and where the US company ExxonMobil, through its subsidiary Esso, leads the Stabroek Block consortium, extracting approximately 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with a potential doubling of production by 2027. In short, a focus of intense interest for Washington, which has decided to send a mission led by the destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson , equipped with Aegis missile launchers, to international waters near Venezuela. The operation will involve approximately 4,000 marines, P-8 patrol aircraft, and an attack submarine, for intelligence, surveillance, and potential targeted attacks.

The destroyer USS Jason Dunham (@web)

20/08/2025

Maduro harshly criticized "the renewal of extravagant, bizarre, and absurd threats" from the United States, which has not recognized his last two electoral victories. And while he didn't specifically mention the latest US moves, the leader thanked those who have expressed their support (Russia, China, and Iran are his geopolitical allies), urging his government's political base to continue training peasant and worker militias "in all sectors" and to ensure nationwide coverage with over 4.5 million militiamen.