National and regional authorities swore in this Friday three units of peasant militias in the Caruao parish, La Guaira state, with the declared objective of preparing for the defense of the territory and agricultural production.
The activity was supervised by the Minister of Popular Power for Agriculture, Julio León Heredia, and the governor of La Guaira, José Alejandro Terán. According to reports, each of the three units is made up of 100 members, who received approximately two months of training in the tactics of what they called “revolutionary resistance.”
Governor Terán justified the mobilization by referring to the need to prepare for what he described as “threats” from the United States government against Venezuela. “We are preparing for peace, but we have to be preparing,” he declared.
For his part, Minister Heredia emphasized the dual purpose of the initiative: food production and defense. He assured that the organization through peasant councils has “two fundamental tasks: produce and defend its territory.” The official highlighted the existence of supply centers and freezing cellars in the area as part of a food reserve for contingencies.
“The most important thing we have seen is the combative spirit,” said Heredia, adding that the farmers have been “training, knowing their weapons.”
The swearing-in of these militias is part of the comprehensive defense policy promoted by the national Government, which includes the organization of armed civilian bodies to complement the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
