What’s subsequent for Venezuela – and who’s answerable for the nation? | EUROtoday

Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro has been captured and is dealing with trial in New York after he and his spouse have been seized in a unprecedented US operation on Saturday.

At least seven explosions and low-flying plane have been seen within the capital, Caracas, and rising smoke was noticed in quite a few areas at roughly 2am throughout the “large-scale” assault on Saturday.

Hours after the assault was launched, US president Donald Trump confirmed Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, had been captured and flown out of Caracas. They have been then indicted on a number of expenses, together with “narco-terrorism”.

The in a single day raid, which has shocked the worldwide neighborhood, got here after months of rising tensions between Maduro’s authorities and Donald Trump’s administration.

Trump stated hours after the raid that the US was going to run Venezuela and seize management of its oil infrastructure, however when requested who was working the nation on Sunday, US secretary of state Marco Rubio didn’t give a transparent reply.

So who’s answerable for Venezuela and what’s subsequent for the nation?

How did the assault unfold?

More than 150 plane, together with fighter jets, helicopters and bombers, have been concerned within the assault on Caracas after Trump gave the order Friday evening.

At least seven explosions and low-flying plane have been seen within the capital, Caracas, and rising smoke was noticed in quite a few areas at roughly 2am throughout the “large-scale” assault on Saturday.

Mr Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, have been transported by sea and air to New York on Saturday night, the place they’re set to face legal expenses.

Mr Maduro and different Venezuelan officers have been indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy expenses, however the US justice division launched a brand new indictment on Saturday of Mr Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, accusing them of a job in narco-terrorism conspiracy.

The ousted Venezuelan chief will probably be held at Brooklyn’s infamous Metropolitan Detention Center forward of his first courtroom look, which might be as early as Monday.

Who is answerable for Venezuela?

Questions have been raised in regards to the quick way forward for Venezuela, with President Trump insisting the US would seize management of the nation and its oil infrastructure.

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Mr Trump stated at a Mar-a-Lago information convention the place he boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives”.

He claimed the American presence was already in place, although there have been no quick indicators that the US was working the nation.

Venezuela’s Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez is now the interim president after being sworn in by the nation’s Supreme Court.

Trump stated Rodriguez has stated she is “willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” but on Saturday, she demanded Maduro’s release, saying he was the “solely president”.

When asked about who was running Venezuela, Rubio deflected questions on Sunday.

“People keep fixating on that,” he said. “Here’s the bottom line on it… we expect to see changes in Venezuela, changes of all kinds long term, short term.”

Asked why the US wouldn’t work with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Rubio said the government was focused on “coping with the quick actuality”.

He said: “Unfortunately, the vast majority of the opposition is no longer present inside of Venezuela.”

What’s next for Venezuela?

US officials have said the US is “not at war with Venezuela” and that it is not planning any further military action, though Trump said “we’re not afraid of shoes on the bottom”.

There is also the question of natural resources. Venezuela is rich in oil and rare earth minerals, which serve as extremely valuable commodities. The South American country has $1.36 trillion worth of mineral wealth, according to Maduro.

On Saturday, Trump said: “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”

On Sunday, Rubio denied that the US wanted Venezuela’s oil.

“We have plenty of oil in the United States,” he said. “What we’re not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States.”

What’s next for Maduro?

Maduro has arrived in New York and was shown arriving at a detention facility where he will await his first court appearance on US criminal charges.

In a video shared on Saturday night by the White House, Maduro wished an onlooker “Happy New Year” as he walked down a hallway in handcuffs and a black hoodie.

It is believed he could be in court as early as Monday.

He and his wife have been charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

“They will quickly face the total wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” US attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X.

Over the past few months, Trump has accused Maduro of being a top-level member of a drug cartel, “Cartel de los Soles”, which he claims is trafficking drugs into the US.

Maduro has denied the allegations and Trump has not shared evidence of Maduro’s involvement, but has used these allegations to justify his lethal military operations against Venezuelan ships.

How has the world reacted?

In the hours after Maduro’s capture, some people took to the streets to protest the US operation, while others celebrated it.

At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Melïndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

“Maduro, maintain on, the individuals are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are right here, Nicolas Maduro. If you possibly can hear us, we’re right here!”

Venezuela’s allies have rushed to condemn the US military action. In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry criticised what it called “an act of armed aggression” and said Caracas “should be assured the best to find out its personal future with none harmful, not to mention navy, outdoors intervention”.

Iran’s foreign ministry also condemned the strikes, saying the action was “a blatant violation of its nationwide sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

In Venezuela on Sunday, people were anxiously discussing what would come next and some were stocking up on food and medicines, though streets were quieter than usual.

Elsewhere, cars were moving, bakeries and coffee shops were open, and some people were out jogging and cycling as if it was a normal weekend.

In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

Similar scenes have been seen in different international locations together with Colombia and Argentina.