Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he is ready to declare a state of emergency over the threat of “aggression” by the United States, following a spate of deadly US attacks on suspected Venezuelan drug boats.
“Today the consultation process began … to declare a state of emergency in accordance with the constitution and protect our people, our peace, and our stability if Venezuela were attacked by the American empire, attacked militarily,” Maduro said in a televised address on Monday.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez told foreign diplomats that Maduro had signed a decree giving himself “special powers” as head of state to act in matters of defence and security in the event the US “dares to attack our homeland”.
The decree would allow Maduro to mobilise soldiers throughout the country and give the military authority over public services and the oil industry.
This came as US President Donald Trump deployed eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine and F-35 stealth fighters to international waters off Venezuela’s coast, backed by F-35 fighters sent to Puerto Rico, in the biggest US naval deployment in the Caribbean.
Trump has publicly claimed several times that the US is engaged in an anti-drug operation to stem the flow of illegal narcotics into the country, even though data from both the United Nations and the US suggest that Venezuela is not a major source of cocaine coming into the US.
The US military has bombed at least three small boats in international waters off Venezuela, claiming they were all “trafficking illicit narcotics”.
At least 17 Venezuelan people have been killed in the strikes, leading Venezuela to say the US has launched an “undeclared war” against the country, which prides itself in standing up to the US-led Western “imperialism” under Maduro’s leadership.
But Trump’s White House is reportedly planning to significantly escalate the situation, with US broadcaster NBC News saying on Friday that military officials are drawing up plans to “target drug traffickers inside Venezuela” with air raids.
Maduro rejected US claims that Venezuela played a big role in drug trafficking, and told Trump he wanted the relationship between the two countries to be “historic and peaceful”.
The UN experts and international scholars also say the US bombing of boats travelling in international waters amounts to “extrajudicial killings” of people who were not indicted in court.
Trump has warned that Venezuela will pay an “incalculable” price if the South American country does not take back immigrants whom the US president described as “prisoners” and “people from mental institutions”.
The powers granted under the decree signed by Maduro would be valid for 90 days, with the option to be renewed for a further 90 days, according to the nation’s constitution.
