In brief
In response to recent US naval strikes that resulted in 17 casualties, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has activated the National Bolivarian Militia, encouraging civilian participation to defend against potential invasions. Many participating militia members are older civilians who, despite their lack of combat experience, are eager to protect their homeland. The training includes armament handling, amplifying worries of a tense military standoff between the US and Venezuela, given the strained historical relations and accusations surrounding drug trafficking and political legitimacy.
When Edith Perales was younger, he enlisted in the National Bolivarian Militia, a civilian force created by the late President Hugo Chávez in 2009 to help defend Venezuela.We have to be a country capable of defending every last inch of our territory so no one comes to mess with us, Chávez said at the time.Sixteen years on, Perales, who is now 68, is joining thousands of other militia members getting ready for a potential US attack.The rag-tag force, mainly made up of senior citizens, has been called up following the deployment of US navy ships in the South Caribbean on what US officials said were counter-narcotics operations.The US force has destroyed at least three boats it said were carrying drugs from Venezuela to the US, killing at least 17 people on board. Venezuela's defence minister, Vladimir Padrino, said the attacks and the US naval deployment amounted to a non-declared war by the US against Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro swiftly called the militia into active duty.Perales has got his uniform and boots at hand, ready to defend his bastion – the Caracas neighbourhood where he lives, in 23 de Enero, an area in the capital that has traditionally been a stronghold of Chavismo - the leftist ideology founded by the late President Chávez and adopted by his successor Nicolás Maduro.A loyal government supporter, he says he is ready to serve whenever they call me.We have to defend the fatherland, he tells the BBC, echoing speeches given by President Maduro in the wake of the strikes on the boats.While experts have told the BBC that the deployment of US naval forces in the South Caribbean is large, they have also pointed out that it is not large enough to suggest that it is part of a planned invasion, but the relationship between Venezuela and the US has certainly deteriorated further since Donald Trump returned to office.The Trump administration, which has declared the Venezuelan criminal gang, Tren de Aragua, a terrorist group, has used this as justification for military actions and has accused Maduro of collusion with drug cartels.Maduro has taken a defensive approach, ordering the Venezuelan military to train local militias, urging that residents like Perales are armed and prepared in the face of perceived threats, marking a significant moment in Venezuela's ongoing struggle with the US and internal political advocates.
