Venezuela Maduro calls on Venezuelans to carry out target practice in barracks
In view of the tensions with the USA, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has called on reservists, militiamen and young Venezuelans to take part in military exercises in the barracks. He called on them to learn "how to shoot in defense of the fatherland".
13.09.2025, 04:44
SDA
"We are a decent, cheerful people, but we are a people of proud warriors," Maduro added at a rally in Caracas on Friday evening. "We have the highest level of mobilization, of professional preparation." Venezuela's militia was founded by Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez. It is subordinate to the army.
The USA sent warships to the Caribbean in August, justifying this with the fight against drug cartels. The USA also deployed ten fighter jets to the outlying territory of Puerto Rico. The government of US President Donald Trump accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel. The left-leaning Maduro sees the US military threats as "the greatest threat" to Latin America in a hundred years.
At the beginning of September, according to Trump, US forces fired on a ship coming from Venezuela with narcotics on board, killing eleven crew members. Maduro's government condemned this as "extrajudicial executions".
The USA does not recognize the Venezuelan presidential election of 2024, after which Maduro declared himself the winner. The opposition is calling the election fraudulent, with its candidate González Urrutia claiming victory. This led to violent protests in Venezuela, resulting in 28 deaths and more than 2,400 arrests. González Urrutia went into exile in Spain.
