Maduro’s Removal Sparks Power Shift as Interim Leader Addresses US

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Maduro’s Removal Sparks Power Shift as Interim Leader Addresses US

Venezuela has been plunged into one of the most dramatic moments in its modern history after longtime leader Nicolás Maduro was captured by United States forces and flown to New York to Facebook sweeping drug-related charges, triggering shockwaves across Latin America and beyond.

In the aftermath of the operation, Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, now serving as acting president, struck an unexpectedly conciliatory note, offering to work with Washington just hours after Donald Trump warned of further military action if Caracas failed to comply with US demands.

Rodríguez’s remarks marked a sharp tonal shift from the fiery rhetoric that has long defined relations between the two governments.

In a public message released on Sunday, she said Venezuela was open to “respectful cooperation” with the United States, signalling what could be the first thaw in years of hostility — even as tensions remain dangerously high.

Maduro, 63, was seized during a US operation in Caracas over the weekend and transported to the United States, where he is now being held in a New York detention facility alongside his wife, Cilia Flores.

He is expected to appear before a federal court in Manhattan to answer charges including narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking conspiracy and weapons offences — allegations he has consistently denied.

US prosecutors allege that Maduro personally oversaw a state-backed drug network that worked with powerful criminal organisations across Latin America, accusations first laid out in indictments dating back to 2020. If convicted, the former president could face decades, or even life, in prison.

Washington insists the operation was a law-enforcement mission aimed at bringing a wanted suspect to justice. Caracas, however, has described it as an illegal abduction and a blatant violation of international law.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, President Trump declared that the United States was now “in charge” of Venezuela and warned that additional strikes were possible if remaining officials failed to cooperate.

He suggested the US would oversee reforms in Venezuela’s oil sector and intensify efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating from the country.

“If they don’t fall in line,” Trump said, “there will be consequences.”
The comments have fuelled fears of further escalation in a region already on edge.

Inside Venezuela, reactions have been mixed. Hundreds of supporters of the ruling Chavismo movement took to the streets of Caracas demanding Maduro’s release, while senior officials branded the operation a kidnapping and urged calm.

Rodríguez has announced the formation of a commission tasked with securing Maduro’s return, even as she navigates growing international pressure and internal uncertainty.

Across the globe, responses have been deeply divided. Several Latin American governments — including Brazil, Colombia and Mexico — warned that the US action set a dangerous precedent.

European leaders, meanwhile, have struggled to balance their long-standing rejection of Maduro’s rule with concerns over sovereignty and international law.

For now, Venezuela stands at a fragile crossroads: a nation without its longtime leader, governed by an interim authority offering cooperation under the shadow of military threats, and watched closely by a world uneasy about what comes next.

Whether Rodríguez’s olive branch signals a genuine reset, or merely a pause before deeper confrontation, remains to be seen. What is certain is that Venezuela’s political future, and the balance of power in the Americas, has entered uncharted territory.

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Chioma Ndukwu

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