Tensions spiral between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago
Venezuela on Friday suggested Trinidad and Tobago could be behind an alleged incursion of mercenaries onto its territory, ratcheting up a row with its neighbor, which has threatened "deadly force" against Venezuelan vessels.
The small English-speaking archipelago of Trinidad and Tobago lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Venezuelan coast.
Venezuela's foreign ministry made its accusation days after announcing the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary" who allegedly entered the country as part of a group carrying "weapons of war."
Trinidad and Tobago reacted angrily to the accusations which marked a sharp deterioration in usually cordial relations between the Caribbean neighbors.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar warned of the risk of an incursion from the Venezuelan side and said she would consider using "deadly force" against unidentified Venezuelan vessels entering Trinidadian waters.
Venezuela's foreign ministry responded Friday by saying that her "virulent" rhetoric "raises serious suspicions of complicity" in the alleged mercenary plot.
Ties between two countries have until now weathered Venezuela's fallout with much of the international community, with the two countries collaborating on offshore oil exploration projects.
Persad-Bissessar has vowed to align her position on Venezuela with that of US President Donald Trump, who has partially banned travel to the United States from the South American country.
Venezuela's foreign ministry warned that her attitude "compromises the good relations" with Caracas.
- Venezuelan migrants told to leave -
The dispute began on Tuesday when Venezuela's left-wing authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro said a group had entered Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago carrying weapons.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello later announced the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary," whom he accused of being part of a group of "terrorists."
The Venezuelan government regularly denounces imaginary or real plots to overthrow Maduro, whose re-election last year in polls marred by fraud has been widely discredited.
Persad-Bissessar rejected any Trinidadian involvement in the latest purported plot.
On Thursday, the former lawyer, who returned to power last month a decade after her first term as leader, called on Venezuelan migrants to leave her country.
The twin-island nation of 1.4 million people is battling a surge in violence, linked partly to the presence of gangs such as Venezuela's infamous Tren de Aragua, which Washington has designated a terrorist group.
A total of 623 murders were recorded last year -- up from 577 in 2023.
The US State Department ranks Trinidad and Tobago the sixth most dangerous nation in the world last year.
Persad-Bissessar has accused Venezuelan migrants of worsening insecurity.
"Crime involving Venezuelans continues to increase," she said on Thursday.
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