The Venezuela Solidarity Campaign in Nigeria (VSCN) has condemned the multiple strikes by the United States military against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, calling the action an act of “imperialist aggression” and a violation of international law.
In a statement issued on Saturday, January 3, the group said the attacks represented “yet another violent attempt by U.S. imperialism to crush a sovereign nation that dares to resist domination, exploitation, and neoliberal control.”
The statement was jointly signed by Gerald O. Katchy, National Secretary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights; Dimeji Macaulay, Coordinator of the Anti-Fascist Movement; Blessing Yusuf, FCT Chairperson of the Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON); and Abiodun Emmanuel Fayemi, Head of the African Farmers and Agricultural Practitioners (AFAP).
The groups expressed concern over what it described as uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts and safety of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following the reported strikes.
According to the statement, “targeting a sovereign state and its leadership through military force is not diplomacy, it is terrorism at the level of states.”
VSCN rejected claims that the reported military action was motivated by the promotion of democracy or human rights, arguing instead that it was driven by strategic and economic interests.
“This attack is not about ‘democracy’ or ‘human rights.’ It is about oil, control, and punishing a people who refuse to bow to imperial dictates,” the group said.
Drawing parallels with past U.S. military interventions, the campaign cited Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and parts of Latin America as examples, claiming such actions have historically resulted in “death, destruction, chaos, and permanent instability.”
The group described Venezuela as “the latest target in this long and bloody record of imperial violence.”
The group said its position was informed by Africa’s own historical experiences with colonialism and foreign interference.
“As Nigerians and Africans, we recognize this playbook. We have lived through colonialism, proxy wars, and foreign interference disguised as ‘humanitarian intervention,’” the group said, adding that it stood “firmly with the people of Venezuela and their right to self-determination, sovereignty, and resistance.”
VSCN issued a list of demands, including “an immediate halt to all U.S. military attacks and threats against Venezuela,” the release of “full and transparent information on the safety and whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro,” the lifting of what it termed “illegal sanctions and economic warfare,” and accountability for alleged violations of international law.
“Venezuela’s future must be determined by Venezuelans alone, free from bombs, sanctions, threats, and coercion,” the group said.
The campaign also called on the Nigerian government, the African Union, and what it described as progressive governments in the Global South to publicly oppose the reported attacks, warning that “silence in the face of aggression is complicity.”
In addition, the group urged workers, students, trade unions, youth movements, and other activist groups across Africa and globally to show solidarity with Venezuela, stating that “an injury to one oppressed nation is an injury to all.”
