标签： South America

The United States has conducted a series of military strikes in the Caribbean Sea, targeting vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking. President Donald Trump announced the first of these strikes in September, claiming that a boat operated by the Tren de Aragua cartel, departing from Venezuela and carrying drugs bound for the US, had been destroyed. Subsequent strikes have been accompanied by grainy footage, though US officials have not provided concrete evidence of drug trafficking or detailed information about the vessels targeted. These actions have sparked regional condemnation and raised significant legal and ethical questions. Colombian President Gustavo Petro disputed one strike, asserting that the targeted boat was Colombian with Colombian citizens onboard, a claim denied by the White House. Legal experts have questioned the legality of the strikes under international maritime law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the US has not signed but claims to follow. Professor Luke Moffett of Queen’s University Belfast noted that while force can be used to stop a boat, it should generally be non-lethal and must be reasonable and necessary in self-defense. Critics argue that labeling individuals as narco-terrorists does not make them lawful military targets, and the US is not engaged in an armed conflict with Venezuela or the Tren de Aragua cartel. A leaked memo to Congress reportedly stated that the Trump administration considers the US to be in a ‘non-international armed conflict’ with drug cartels. Despite support from some Republicans, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who praised the strikes as a sign of strong leadership, concerns have been raised about compliance with US law, particularly the War Powers Resolution, which requires consultation with Congress before military action. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has denied involvement in drug trafficking and condemned the strikes, which come amid reports of increased US naval presence in the region. The USS Lake Erie, USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Fort Lauderdale have been identified in the Caribbean, supporting anti-narcotics operations. Trump has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, further escalating tensions between the two nations.

The recent targeted shooting of two Venezuelan activists in Bogotá, Colombia, has ignited widespread concern among Venezuela’s diaspora, raising alarms that President Nicolás Maduro’s crackdown on dissent is extending beyond Venezuela’s borders. On Monday afternoon, human rights activist Yendri Velásquez and political consultant Luis Peche Arteaga were ambushed by unidentified assailants in a car as they exited a building in northern Bogotá. The attackers fired approximately 15 shots, with Peche Arteaga sustaining six gunshot wounds. Both victims underwent surgery and are now in stable condition, according to Laura Dib, Velásquez’s colleague and Venezuela Program Director for the Washington Office on Latin America.

The incident has sent shockwaves through Venezuela’s human rights community, with Dib describing it as a stark reminder of the dangers of transnational repression. While Colombian authorities are investigating the attack, civil society leaders suspect the shooting was politically motivated, given the victims’ profiles as prominent critics of the Maduro regime. Velásquez and Peche Arteaga were among the thousands who fled Venezuela last year following widespread accusations of election fraud and the government’s detention of over 2,000 activists and opposition figures.

Velásquez, who had previously been arbitrarily detained by Venezuelan authorities and had his passport canceled, sought refuge in Colombia, joining nearly 8 million Venezuelans who have fled the country’s economic and political crisis. However, the attack has heightened fears among exiles that they are no longer safe even abroad. Arles Pereda, president of the Colony of Venezuelans in Colombia, warned that such violence was anticipated due to the government’s history of targeting civil society groups. He emphasized the need for enhanced security measures, including hiring bodyguards and identifying third countries for emergency relocation.

The shooting coincides with escalating tensions in the region. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who recently received the Nobel Peace Prize, condemned the attack as a grave aggression and called for protection for Venezuelan exiles. Meanwhile, Maduro’s government has drawn criticism for its abrupt closure of the Venezuelan embassy in Oslo and its ongoing disputes with the U.S. over drug trafficking allegations. The Trump administration’s recent reduction of international aid and protections for Venezuelans has further complicated efforts to support exiles.

As Andean nations grapple with the largest migratory crisis in Latin American history, hostility toward Venezuelan migrants has grown, exacerbating their vulnerability. Despite seeking assistance from Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office, Velásquez had not been granted international protection at the time of the attack. Dib lamented the missed opportunities to safeguard activists, calling the incident a wake-up call for the international community to address the escalating threats faced by Venezuelan dissidents.

The Trump administration has carried out its fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean, targeting a small boat allegedly involved in drug trafficking off the coast of Venezuela. President Donald Trump announced the operation on social media, stating that six individuals aboard the vessel were killed, and no U.S. forces were harmed. The strike was ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and executed in international waters, with intelligence confirming the boat’s association with narcoterrorist networks and its presence on a known drug trafficking route. This marks the latest in a series of aggressive actions by the administration, which has classified alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants subject to military force. However, the strikes have sparked growing bipartisan frustration on Capitol Hill. Republicans are demanding more details on the legal justifications, while Democrats argue that the operations violate both U.S. and international law. The Senate recently voted on a war powers resolution to restrict such strikes without congressional authorization, but it failed to pass. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has yet to provide concrete evidence to lawmakers proving the targeted boats were indeed carrying narcotics. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has accused the U.S. of using false drug-trafficking claims to justify its actions, warning of a potential escalation and describing the U.S. approach as ‘anti-political, anti-human, warmongering, rude, and vulgar.’

José Daniel Ferrer, a prominent Cuban dissident and vocal critic of the Communist government, has arrived in Miami following his release from a Cuban prison. Upon landing in the United States, Ferrer immediately called for the freedom of hundreds of political prisoners still detained in Cuba. The 55-year-old activist revealed earlier this month that he made the ‘difficult decision’ to go into exile after learning that his wife could face imprisonment and their son might be sent to a juvenile detention facility. The Cuban foreign ministry stated that Ferrer and his family left the country following a ‘formal request’ from the U.S. government, emphasizing that Ferrer had given his ‘explicit acceptance.’ Ferrer, the coordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, a coalition of dissident organizations, has been a relentless advocate for democracy in a country where political opposition is banned. His activism has led to multiple imprisonments, including a brief release in January 2023 as part of a Vatican-negotiated deal that saw Cuba removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. However, Ferrer was re-arrested three months later for allegedly violating his parole terms. He has accused Cuban authorities of subjecting him to humiliation and torture, describing his treatment as ‘cruelty without bounds.’ Fellow dissidents have labeled his departure as a ‘forced exile.’ U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Ferrer’s leadership and advocacy, stating that his efforts posed a significant threat to the Cuban regime. Rubio also urged the international community to hold Cuba accountable for its human rights abuses and demand the release of over 700 political prisoners.