Africa-Press – South-Africa. The South African government has condemned the United States after a large-scale military strike in Venezuela and the capture of its leader, Nicholas Maduro.
US President Donald Trump has said that his nation will run Venezuela until a “judicious transition” can happen.
The US government will also take control of Venezuela’s oil reserves, which are the largest in the world.
Maduro has now arrived in New York, where he is set to face drugs and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court.
The South African government, along with several other governments and international organisations, has slammed the United States for its act of aggression.
The Department of International Affairs and Cooperation (DIRCO) said that South Africa views these actions as a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations.
The Charter mandates that all Member States refrain from the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
DIRCO added that the Charter does not authorise external military intervention in matters that are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign nation.
“History has repeatedly shown that military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and a deepening of the crisis,” it said.
“Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations.”
South Africa has called on the UN Security Council, which focuses on international peace and security, to convene urgently to address this situation.
The United Nations Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the US’s attack on Venezuela, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sees as setting a dangerous precedent.
There are fears that the US’s actions could justify other large nations in their invasions of smaller countries, including Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
While the US government stated that it will take over the country, several other members of Maduro’s government will remain in place to run the country.
Although Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, the nation has seen its economy collapse in the last decade. According to the UN, there are roughly 8 million Venezuelan refugees.
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