Venezuela govt says united behind Maduro after his capture by US

Venezuela's government said on Sunday it remains united behind President Nicolas Maduro after his capture by the United States, an extraordinary move that has plunged the oil-rich South American nation into deep uncertainty.

Maduro is being held at a detention centre in New York and is due to appear in court on Monday on US drug-related charges, after US President Donald Trump ordered his removal and said Washington would take control of Venezuela. In Caracas, however, senior officials loyal to Maduro remain in charge and have denounced the detention of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as a kidnapping.

"Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy's provocations," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio message shared by the ruling PSUV socialist party, urging calm.

Images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed stunned Venezuelans and marked Washington's most controversial intervention in Latin America since the US invasion of Panama 37 years ago.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who also serves as oil minister, has taken over day-to-day leadership with the backing of Venezuela's top court, though she has insisted Maduro remains president. Seen as the most pragmatic figure in Maduro's inner circle due to her experience with the private sector and the oil industry, Rodriguez has rejected Trump's claim that she is willing to work with the US.

The Venezuelan government has repeatedly accused Trump of seeking control over the country's vast natural resources, particularly oil. Officials pointed to Trump's remarks on Saturday that major US oil companies would move into Venezuela.

"We are outraged because in the end everything was revealed — it was revealed that they only want our oil," Cabello said. He is known to have close ties to the military.

Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA has asked some joint ventures to cut crude production by shutting down oilfields or groups of wells amid an export paralysis, three sources told Reuters. Oil exports have been at a standstill since the US last month announced a blockade on sanctioned tankers and seized two Venezuelan oil cargoes.

Once among Latin America's most prosperous countries, Venezuela's economy deteriorated sharply under Maduro, prompting around one in five citizens to leave the country in one of the world's largest migration crises.

Muted streets

Despite anxiety following Maduro's seizure, Caracas and other cities appeared relatively calm on Sunday. Security forces were visible but lighter than usual, and some bakeries and cafes reopened.

"Yesterday I was very afraid to go out, but today I had to," said a single mother in the oil city of Maracaibo, who said she was buying food for her family. "Venezuelans are used to enduring fear."

To the disappointment of the opposition, Trump has played down the prospect of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacks sufficient support. Machado, who was barred from running in the 2024 election, has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez won that vote and has a democratic mandate to govern.

International reaction has been sharply divided. While many Western nations oppose Maduro, there have been calls for the US to respect international law and resolve the crisis diplomatically. Democrats in the US have demanded clarity on what comes next, while the UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the US action as a dangerous precedent, and Russia and China, key allies of Venezuela, have criticised Washington.

Maduro was indicted in the US in 2020 on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, allegations he has consistently denied.