Statement from the National Network on Cuba
The recent U.S. military assault on Venezuela is not a legitimate action against “narco-terrorism”—it is naked imperialism, a blatant violation of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty. The United States’ bombardment of Caracas and other regions, along with the announcement of the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, has drawn immediate condemnation from leaders across Latin America and the world, including Cuba’s government, which called it “state terrorism” and demanded an urgent global response.
This escalation comes after months of naval blockade, strikes on vessels, and sanctions on Venezuelan oil firms—moves critics say are less about public safety and more about controlling the region’s vast natural resources and strategic influence.
But the consequences are already clear: this aggression is destabilizing the Southern Hemisphere. It risks triggering broader conflict, disrupting regional peace, and creating waves of migration, economic hardship, and humanitarian crisis across Latin America and the Caribbean. Experts warn that such intervention could spiral into a conflict reminiscent of past major wars, with international involvement and profound human cost.
We reject this war of conquest. The right to self-determination, sovereignty, and peace is enshrined in the UN Charter and international law—principles that these actions have ignored. Instead of building cooperation and mutual respect, the U.S. government is choosing domination and extraction. We stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people, with all nations resisting imperialist war, and with those around the world who know that peace cannot be secured through bombs and blockades but through justice and respect for sovereign peoples.
Demanding Proof of Life
Following President Trump’s reckless declaration that the United States had “captured” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the situation escalated into a grave international crisis. Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, speaking on state-run television, stated that the whereabouts of President Maduro and his wife are unknown, and directly challenged the U.S. government—demanding proof of life.
This moment marks an unprecedented and dangerous threshold in U.S. foreign aggression. The forced disappearance of a sitting head of state—whether through direct seizure, covert detention, or proxy action—constitutes a blatant violation of international law, including the UN Charter, the Vienna Convention, and the fundamental principles of national sovereignty. It is not diplomacy; it is state kidnapping.
The immediate regional fallout is already visible. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro announced the deployment of Colombian forces to the Venezuelan border, preparing for the possibility of a massive refugee influx. This response exposes the cascading consequences of imperial intervention: destabilization, displacement, and the spreading of crisis far beyond Venezuela’s borders.
Latin America has lived through this script before—coups masked as “liberation,” invasions framed as “security,” and sanctions justified as “democracy promotion.” Each time, the result has been devastation for working people and long-term instability for the region. What is unfolding now is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader imperial strategy aimed at crushing sovereignty and reasserting U.S. dominance over the Global South.
The Venezuelan people did not choose war. They did not choose blockade, sabotage, or the terror of political disappearance. This crisis has been manufactured by an empire willing to shatter international norms to maintain control over resources and geopolitical influence.
We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Venezuela and with all nations resisting imperial domination. The demand is clear and urgent: produce proof of life, respect international law, and end U.S. aggression immediately.
Cuba’s Firm Stand
The escalation of U.S. aggression has drawn firm and unequivocal condemnation from across the Global South. Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, denounced the ongoing military assault in the strongest terms:
“We strongly condemn the ongoing military aggression by the USA against Venezuela. The bombings and acts of war against Caracas and other locations in the country are cowardly acts against a nation that has not attacked the United States or any other country.”
The Cuban government characterized the airstrikes as acts of state terrorism and a flagrant violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, warning that such attacks threaten not only Venezuela but the stability of the entire region. Havana called on the international community to respond urgently to what it described as a criminal assault that shatters the principles of international law and undermines the Zone of Peace declared by Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Our Zone of Peace is being brutally attacked,” the Cuban statement affirmed. “This is an act of aggression against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America.”
Cuba reaffirmed its unconditional solidarity with Venezuela and its enduring commitment to the self-determination of peoples, standing firmly against imperial domination, military coercion, and the normalization of war as policy. In a moment when international law is being openly trampled and sovereignty treated as expendable, Cuba’s position reflects a moral clarity rooted in decades of resistance and internationalism.
The message concludes not as rhetoric, but as resolve—echoing the historical consciousness of a people who have faced blockade, invasion, and terror yet refused to surrender their dignity:
“Patria o Muerte. ¡Venceremos!”
This is not merely Venezuela’s struggle. It is a defining moment for the future of global peace, sovereignty, and justice.
National Network on Cuba
Co-chairs: Cheryl LaBash, Shaquille Fontenot, Onyesonwu Chatoyer, César Omar Sánchez, Tim Rupprecht
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