Maduro warns of State of Emergency as US-Venezuela standoff intensifies

Venezuela: President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has warned other nations that his government is ready and is preparing to declare a state of emergency due to rising tensions in their country with the United States.

On Wednesday, in a nationally televised speech, Maduro reportedly alleged that Washington is preparing for military action against Venezuela, asserting that U.S. naval activities in the Caribbean are part of a wider effort to undermine his administration.

President Nicolas Maduro further stated that, “This statement is made to defend our people, our peace, and our stability in the event of an attack by the U.S. empire”. He further announced that “We are planning to start a consultation process which is necessary to activate the constitution emergency powers.”

The Venezuelan leader stated that this move was necessary for them to do and to state what they are planning. These remarks also come from the presence of U.S. warships patrolling in the Caribbean, which Washington ‘United States' claims is a part of an anti-drug trafficking effort.

However, Caracas argued that this operation is merely a pretext for orchestrating regime change.

Further, the US government declared their changes in the rewards as they doubled the bounty on Maduro to $50 million, as they accused him of being a narco trafficker which he strongly denies. The president of the US, also claimed that their government had recently conducted a strike and that they destroyed a total of 4 drug-laden boats, in which more than dozen of people also got killed.

The Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez stated that if an emergency decree is put in place, President Maduro would receive all the special powers that allow him to Close all the land, sea, and air borders, to deploy the military across the country, to enforce nationwide measures on the economy, politics, and security and to place oil production and public services under the direct military control.

Adding more to it he also mentioned that the decree would last for 90 days and could be extended for another 90 days and with that he again stated that it  would take effect immediately if Venezuela is attacked.

Caracas had also shown their defence preparations in recent days as they staged large scale military drills which featured Russian fighter jets and along with that thousands of armed militia members. He also stated that local militias have also been activated and are training in the city areas for a long period of time, as part of what our President Maduro called “the unification of an empowered people.”

Lastly, “the standoff between the US and Venezuela could have significant implications for the wider Caribbean region” the security analysts stated. They also showed concern that with U.S. naval forces on high alert and Venezuela warning of full mobilization, even a small incident, whether deliberate or accidental, could quickly lead to a serious escalation, potentially affecting nearby countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.