AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
Venezuela’s opposition welcomes a Nobel Prize as a means to highlight the country’s ongoing repression, economic crisis, and political prisoners. Despite opposition calls, the military remains loyal to Nicolás Maduro. Questions linger about the extent of international allies’ intervention, particularly from the US, amid reports some officials seek Maduro’s removal. Recent US bombings of vessels near Venezuela, allegedly drug trafficking, raise concerns about potential breaches of international law and fuel Maduro’s belief that the US aims to oust him. The US is building a military presence near Venezuela.
News summary provided by Gemini AI.
What comes next for Venezuela’s opposition?published at 13:18 BST
Ione Wells
South America correspondent
This Nobel Prize will be hugely welcomed by Venezuela’s
opposition, as a way to draw further international attention to the situation
in Venezuela.
Repression, and crackdowns on dissent in the country, remain
common. There are dozens of political prisoners. The country is suffering a
deep economic crisis too.
So far, the armed forces, police, intelligence agencies and
key militia groups have remained loyal to Nicolás Maduro. Calls from the
opposition for the military or security forces to abandon him have so far not
produced significant defections.
There is still a lingering question mark about how far
Machado’s international allies, like Donald Trump, would be prepared to go to
intervene. There have been reports that some of Trump’s officials want to oust
Maduro.
In recent weeks, the US has bombed at least four vessels in
the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela killing at least 21 people. The US
claims they are drug trafficking vessels but has not provided any details or
evidence about those on board and some lawyers believe the strikes breach
international law.
Some in the region, including Maduro himself, believe these
strikes coupled with the military presence the US is building near Venezuela
show Trump’s real objective is to remove Maduro from power.
