The South African government has requested that the UN Security Council meet urgently to address the United States military attack against Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The country assesses that the actions constitute a violation of the United Nations Charter, which determines that all Member States must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another country.
In an official statement, South Africa adds that the Charter also does not authorize external military interventions in matters that are essentially the internal jurisdiction of a sovereign nation.
“History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states only generate instability and deepening crises. The unilateral and illegal use of force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality between nations”, says a note from the South African government.
Understand
The United States attack against Venezuela marks a new episode of direct interventions by Washington in Latin America. The last time the US invaded a Latin American country was in 1989, in Panama, when the US military kidnapped then-president Manuel Noriega, accusing him of drug trafficking.
Just as they did with Noriega, the United States accuses Maduro of leading an alleged Venezuelan De Los Soles cartel, without presenting evidence. Experts in international drug trafficking question the existence of this cartel.
Donald Trump’s administration was offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
For critics, the action is a geopolitical measure to distance Venezuela from global adversaries of the United States, such as China and Russia, in addition to exerting greater control over the country’s oil, which owns the largest proven oil reserves on the planet.
