African policy specialists are raising alarms that recent US military actions against Venezuela represent a dangerous erosion of international legal standards, potentially signaling a return to coercive power politics that could disproportionately impact resource-rich yet institutionally vulnerable nations across Africa.
According to security analysts, the unilateral intervention outside United Nations frameworks marks a significant departure from rule-based international relations. Melha Rout Biel, Executive Director of South Sudan’s Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies, characterized the development as undermining global norms that protect national sovereignty and prevent coercion in international disputes.
“The attempt to remove a sitting president under foreign jurisdiction while claiming respect for international law represents a fundamental contradiction,” Biel stated. “Such actions risk normalizing coercive intervention and establishing precedents that could threaten sovereignty throughout Africa and other resource-rich regions.”
The analysis suggests that vulnerable states possessing significant oil, mineral and strategic resources may increasingly face external pressure disguised as legal or security measures if unilateral intervention becomes normalized. Biel emphasized that this concern extends beyond Venezuela, with Africa and parts of Asia facing comparable risks should power begin to replace law in international relations.
Nigerian policy expert Olusoji Ajao, founder of Afrocentric Masterclass, noted that interventions bypassing multilateral institutions rarely achieve sustainable governance improvements. “Historical evidence demonstrates that these approaches tend to fracture societies rather than reform them,” Ajao explained, adding that sanctions and coercive measures typically impose severe social and economic costs on civilian populations while failing to produce political solutions.
The African Union has reaffirmed its commitment to international law principles including sovereignty and territorial integrity, while multiple African nations including South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Liberia, Ghana and Namibia have called for urgent action to uphold the UN Charter and protect Venezuela’s sovereignty.
African experts conclude that sustainable solutions must emerge through inclusive political dialogue rather than external imposition, warning that the continent must develop unified positions to prevent becoming collateral damage in great power competitions, as occurred during the Cold War era.