The African Union (AU) and several African leaders have echoed the international condemnation of the US’ military attacks on Venezuela, and the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, calling for increased security for the African continent, notes Legalbrief Africa.
The AU has urged restraint and respect for international law following the attacks, reports Anadolu Ajanse. The Pan-African bloc said it was following developments in Venezuela with grave concern and warned against any escalation that could threaten regional peace and stability.
“The African Union calls upon all parties concerned to exercise restraint, responsibility, and respect for international law to prevent any escalation and to preserve regional peace and stability,” it said.
The bloc said the situation in Venezuela involves complex internal challenges and stressed that they can only be addressed through inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves. The bloc also reaffirmed its call for commitment to the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination under the UN charter, and expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
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Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni said the arrest of Maduro by the US underscores the urgent need for Africa to strengthen its strategic security across land, sea, air and space . Museveni said now was the time for Africans to realise the problem at hand and see how to deal with it, according to the Nile Post . The President outlined what he called the multi-dimensional approach of powerful nations like the US.
“Americans are operating from four dimensions: the sea – and Latin Americans don’t have a navy; the air; space; and now they are trying to come on land,” he said. “In space, you are at an advantage – you see me, I don’t. In the ocean, I am not there. This is what we are talking about as Africans.”
Museveni said Africa’s lack of strategic capacity was a risk that leaders must address. “It presents the issue of strategic security. You ( as a single African country) can remain a big fish in a small pond, but when trouble comes, you may not survive. The strategic security of Africa is very crucial.”
Museveni also commended East African leaders for taking steps to protect the region . Museveni emphasised that Africa cannot remain passive while other powers dominate space technology, states the Nile Post report. “We can’t remain here when other people are in space and say we are clever. You should wake up. East Africa has all the potential. We are very strong. We can use Kiswahili to unite ourselves.”
He warned that Africa’s fragmented defence posture makes the continent vulnerable. “You can have small countries in the world like Denmark but have a centre of gravity. When they are in trouble, a big boy like the US defends them. But the entire African continent doesn’t have one, and it is very risky,” Museveni said. Full report on the Anadolu Ajanse site Full Nile Post report
The South African (SA) Government urgently called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to convene in response to the attacks . News24 reports that it expressed grave concern over the Trump administration’s “large-scale military strike against Venezuela” and the capture of the Maduros.
Chrispin Phiri, the spokesperson for the Department of International Relations & Cooperation (Dirco), described the US’ actions as a blatant violation of the UN Charter.
“South Africa views these actions as a manifest violation of the Charter of the UN, which mandates that all member states refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Furthermore, the Charter does not authorise external military intervention in matters that are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign nation,” said Phiri, according to the Daily Maverick.
Trump used his own social media platform Truth Social to announce the military strike and to say Maduro and Flores had been captured and taken to the US.
Dirco’s head of public diplomacy, Clayson Monyela, posted on X: “Where’s the ‘international rules-based order? Are we back to law of the jungle now? What The Hell!!!!!!” He cited a violation of Article 2(4) (Non-Interference/Force) of the UN Charter, which states that “members must not use force or threaten force against another state’s territory or political independence”.
IoL reports that former Economic Freedom Fighters MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi described the operation as a shocking display of unilateral force. “The year 2026 has started… imperialist USA invasion of Venezuela. Capture of its leader, along with his wife.” He added pointed commentary on global power dynamics, noting: “Key question is: Are China and Russia seriously a counter force to this ‘USA Disorder? ‘
Venezuela’s Government condemned the strikes as military aggression and a violation of sovereignty. International observers have expressed alarm at the unilateral use of force without multilateral authorisation.
News24 notes that international relations expert Anthoni van Nieuwkerk agreed with Monyela, stating that the US had violated several internationally recognised principles, including sovereignty, international law, the peaceful settlement of disputes, the referral of a dispute to the UN system (UNSC or subsidiary bodies), and kidnapping.
Van Nieuwkerk said it was important to first understand what exactly transpired. The UNSC is scheduled to meet today (Monday) over the US action, according to CNBC.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he was deeply alarmed by US action in Venezuela that sets “a dangerous precedent,” his spokesperson said. “The secretary-general continues to emphasise the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. Full IoL report Full Daily Maverick report Full News24 report Full CNBC report
This attack signals a broader strategic posture that could have far-reaching consequences not only for Latin America but also for Africa, writes Segun Adeyemi in Business Insider Africa .
“For decades, the continent’s leading nations have debated pathways toward genuine economic sovereignty. Today, amid Washington’s aggressive displays of power, the case for unity, financial, monetary and political, has never been stronger. The Venezuelan episode is more than a regional crisis as it represents a contemporary expression of a long historical pattern in which global powers leverage economic and military might to shape resource distribution, political alignment, and global governance.”
Adeyemi says for Africa’s heavyweights, this moment demands reflection and action to break the structural constraints of economic dependency, particularly on the US dollar and Western financial institutions, while striving to fulfil aspirations once championed by leaders like Gaddafi.
“For Africa, these developments aren’t abstract as they are direct bearers of lessons about how dominant global powers may act when access to strategic resources or geopolitical advantage is perceived to be at stake.
“If Washington is prepared to bypass diplomatic norms to influence its hemisphere, what might it do in other parts of the world where vital natural resources and emerging markets abound ?”
He says Africa’s best-resourced nations, including Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, and Kenya, remain structurally intertwined with the US financial system.
“Their foreign reserves, trade finance and international debts are denominated in dollars. United Africa proponents argue that a common currency and integrated economic institutions would reduce reliance on external currencies, enable greater control over fiscal and monetary policies, and foster cross-border investment within the continent.”
Adeyemi states in Business Insider Africa that for African heavyweights, these developments reinforce vital truths. ‘First, global power dynamics are competitive and sometimes coercive. Second, dependence on external financial structures constrains national agency. Third, co-ordinated regional strategies can elevate collective bargaining power and secure more equitable terms in international relations. The dream of a United Africa, long articulated by leaders and reformers, might not be fully realisable in the short term. But its core principles, economic autonomy, monetary innovation, intra-continental trade expansion, and co-operative security, are attainable and urgently needed.” Full Business Insider Africa story
Nigeria’s silence on the US attack on Venezuela has been questioned , reports the Vanguard . A media aide to former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has questioned the silence of the Federal Government and the Presidency over the reported arrest and detention of Maduro.
Ibe raised the concern in a post on his Facebook page, wondering why the Nigerian government has yet to make any official statement on the development, despite its implications for international diplomacy and sovereignty. He further likened the situation to a popular proverb, suggesting that the silence could be driven by fear or discomfort.
It comes weeks after Trump threatened to take action following months of allegations by campaigners and politicians in Washington that Islamist militants were systematically targeting Christians in the west African country.
Trump claimed that Nigeria was not doing enough to protect Christians. The government in Abuja pushed back on these claims describing them as “a gross misrepresentation of reality”, reported BBC News at the time. Then on Christmas Day, Trump announced that American forces had attacked the Islamic State (IS) group in Nigeria.
In his post, Ibe directly referenced key figures in the current administration, including President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, and presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, urging them to clarify Nigeria’s position on the matter. The comments come amid growing international reactions to developments in Venezuela, with regional and global bodies expressing concerns over sovereignty, international law and diplomatic conduct.
However, former Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore have also condemned the action taken again Maduro, reports Punch . Sani compared it to previous US military interventions: “Trump condemned Bush for removing Saddam and condemned Obama for removing Gaddafi; here he, acting without Congressional consent or approval, and without regard for international law and respect for the sovereignty of Venezuela, invaded Venezuela and removed their President.”
Historical context shows that US leaders have previously engaged in controversial regime changes.
In March 2003, President George W Bush launched a military invasion of Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein, who was captured near Tikrit in December 2003 and executed in 2006. Similarly, in 2011, President Barack Obama backed Nato-led intervention in Libya that led to Muammar Gaddafi’s removal.
Sowore also criticised the Venezuelan operation and says the time has come to confront an uncomfortable truth. “The UN has devolved into a ceremonial tea party, impotent, compromised, and largely irrelevant. Its persistent failure to restrain unilateral aggression, war crimes, and abuses of power exposes a deep and incurable structural rot,” Sowore said. He argued that the UN should be replaced by “a truly credible coalition of nation-states designed to serve humanity, uphold justice, and prevent tyranny.”
The Communist Party of Kenya has condemned the US invasion of Venezuela, labelling it an illegal and imperialist act reports the China Daily . The party also expressed concern over what it said are threats by US President Donald Trump and his Western allies to invade Iran by interfering in its internal affairs.
Mwandawiro Mghanga, the party chairperson, called on the international community to condemn the actions, warning against a repeat of history. “We should remember history and the rise of fascism led by Adolf Hitler,” he said. “Today it is Venezuela, Iran and Cuba, but tomorrow it will be the whole world including Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia and USA itself.”
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Mghanga emphasised that repeating such historical mistakes would be costly. “The Communist Party of Kenya calls upon all progressives in Kenya and globally to rise up, hold demonstrations, and show solidarity with the popular leadership of Venezuela; and to condemn in no uncertain terms, the imperialist invasion of Venezuela by the US,” he said. Full China Daily report Full Punch report Full Vanguard report Full BBC News report
A newly unsealed US Justice Department indictment accuses Nicolás Maduro of running a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fuelled by an extensive drug-trafficking operation that flooded the US with thousands of tons of cocaine, reports The Guardian .
The arrest of Maduro and his wife in a stunning military operation early on Saturday in Venezuela sets the stage for a major test for US prosecutors as they seek to secure a conviction in a Manhattan courtroom against the longtime leader of the oil-rich South American nation.
Attorney-General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts”. Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Maduro is facing the same charges as in an earlier indictment brought against him in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. A video posted on Saturday night on social media by a White House account showed Maduro, smiling, as he was escorted through a US Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York by two federal agents grasping his arms.
The indictment accuses Maduro of partnering with “some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world” to allow for the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US.
According to The Guardian , authorities allege powerful and violent drug-trafficking organisations, such as the Sinaloa cartel and Tren de Aragua gang, worked directly with the Venezuelan Government and then sent profits to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange.
US authorities allege that Maduro and his family “provided law enforcement cover and logistical support” to cartels moving drugs throughout the region, resulting in as much as 250 tons of cocaine trafficked through Venezuela annually by 2020, according to the indictment.
The US accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders “against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation”. Maduro’s wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between “a large-scale drug trafficker” and the director of Venezuela’s National Anti-Drug Office. Full report in The Guardian