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Trump announced $50 mn bounty for his arrest. Now, Maduro responds with 4.5 mn militia and armed peasants
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks as he presents a proposal to reform the constitution in a session of the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela on February 15, 2025. Reuters File
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced that he will deploy 4.5 million members of the country's civilian militia, citing what he called renewed threats from the United States.
The move comes after Washington increased the bounty for Maduro's arrest and launched new anti-drug operations in the Caribbean — actions Caracas has condemned as hostile and provocative.
'This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory - militias that are prepared, activated and armed,' Maduro announced on state television.
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The militia, originally established by former President Hugo Chávez, is officially reported to number around five million members, although independent estimates suggest the actual figure is significantly lower, reported Times of India.
Venezuela's total population stands at approximately 30 million.
In a televised address, President Maduro condemned what he described as 'the renewal of extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats' from the US, following a series of moves by Washington that have further strained bilateral relations.
Earlier this month, President Trump's administration doubled the reward for Maduro's capture to $50 million. The Venezuelan leader faces drug trafficking charges in the United States, where officials accuse him of heading the so-called Cartel de los Sole_s_, a criminal network allegedly responsible for large-scale cocaine smuggling.
In addition to increasing the bounty, the Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions on both the cartel and the Venezuelan government.
The US military has also reportedly deployed several naval vessels to the southern Caribbean as part of its broader anti-narcotics campaign in the region.
'We are also deployed throughout the Caribbean… in our sea, our property, Venezuelan territory,' Times of India quoted Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello as saying.
Although he did not explicitly mention the recent actions by the United States, President Maduro expressed gratitude to Venezuela's international allies for standing with the country against what he described as a 'rotten refrain' of ongoing threats.
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Maduro also called for the expansion of worker and peasant militias across all sectors of the economy, urging broader participation in what he framed as a national defence effort.
'Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela,' declared Maduro.
With inputs from agencies
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