By Marcus Moloko
The ANC has strongly condemned the capture and abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son Nicolás Ernesto Maduro by US forces on Saturday, describing the act as a grave violation of international law and sovereignty.
The ANC also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the Venezuelan President and his wife from US custody. Maduro is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network linked to international drug cartels and faces four criminal charges, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
The party’s Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, on Tuesday described the abduction of Maduro as “imperialist aggression” and accused the United States of once again imposing itself as the “world’s policeman.”
Mbalula condemned the recent acts of aggression, “which constitute a serious violation of international law, national sovereignty, and the principles governing peaceful relations between states.”
He argued that the abduction of Maduro and his family undermines the United Nations Charter and threatens global peace at a time when cooperation and dialogue are urgently needed.
“The world must reject all actions that undermine democracy, international law and human dignity,” Mbalula said.
“The reaction we are looking for is that the UN Security Council must take action against the USA not to impose itself as a world police. What we are dealing with in Donald Trump is someone who is treating sovereign countries like banana republics.”
He emphasised that the humanitarian consequences of war, sanctions, and economic coercion must remain central to the conscience of the global community.
The ANC reaffirmed its commitment to a multipolar and “rules-based international order, grounded in equality between nations and solidarity among peoples.”
“This action by the US can never be legitimate. The Secretary of State of the US says they he doesn’t care about the UN and what the UN thinks. Trump says they invaded Venezuela and the key and primary reason is oil, they further state they going send their companies to run the oil industry. We can’t keep quiet when we see such an injustice being meted upon on a people. We will campaign, mobilise and conscientise our people against the US imperialist aggression,” said Mbalula.
Mbalula linked the incident to the ANC’s historic Freedom Charter, which proclaims that “there shall be peace and friendship…”
He vowed that the ANC would work with progressive forces in South Africa to mobilize against what he described as American imperialist aggression, warning that such actions could also target South Africa.
“The issue in our view is not the readiness of our defence, we reject militarism. The US has a strong military, and if they wish to invade a country, they have the capabilities. That is why we reject military solutions and advocate for a multipolar and a world governed by a unilateral global order,” said Mbalula.
“The US invited Iraq and Afghanistan, stating that there were weapons of mass destruction. South Africa and the ANC, including Nelson Mandela, were part of the voices that stated that this is an aggression against independent states. In our lifetime, we have been proven right because they withdraw in Afghanistan and Iraq, leaving the Taliban in charge and Iraq a lawless state. We cannot cower in the face of imperial aggression.”
The U.S stance
President Donald Trump and senior officials have hailed Operation Absolute Resolve, the raid on Caracas and the capture and abduction of Maduro, as an outstanding military success.
Trump insisted that capturing Maduro was legal, citing an administration memo that declared Venezuelan drug cartels to be “unlawful combatants” and placed the U.S. in an “armed conflict” with them.
According to reports, the mission to seize Maduro and Flores from their residence on a military base in Caracas was part of a broader effort to prosecute them for alleged participation in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, described the raid as an enforcement operation, arguing that it was necessary to dismantle criminal networks threatening regional stability.
The short history between Venezuela and the United States
The confrontation between Venezuela and the United States has deep roots. Since the rise of Hugo Chávez in 1999, Venezuela pursued a socialist path that challenged U.S. influence in Latin America.
Chávez’s successor, Nicolás Maduro, continued policies of state control over oil revenues and alliances with countries such as Russia, China, and Iran.
Relations deteriorated sharply in 2018 when the U.S. and several allies refused to recognize Maduro’s re-election, labeling it fraudulent.
Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry, exacerbating the country’s economic crisis.
The Trump administration openly supported opposition leader Juan Guaidó, declaring him interim president.
In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Maduro and senior officials on charges of narco-terrorism, alleging that they conspired with Colombian guerrillas to flood the U.S. with cocaine. Venezuela rejected the charges as politically motivated.
The reported kidnapping of Maduro and his family represents a clear escalation of this long-running conflict.
Mbalula warned that such unilateral actions undermine the principles of sovereignty and non-interference enshrined in international law.
He argued that the interdependence of nations demands cooperation rather than confrontation, and development rather than domination.
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