Unity Labour Party has issued the following statement on “the Violation of Venezuelan Sovereignty and the threat to Regional Peace”

The Unity Labour Party unequivocally condemns the kidnapping on January 3, 2026 of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, by the United States military; the declaration by United States President Donald Trump that he intends to “run” and control Venezuela for the foreseeable future; and the unilateral expropriation of Venezuela’s sovereign oil resources by the United States Government.

Taken individually and collectively, these actions constitute blatant violations of international law, undermine the concept of a rules-based international order, and directly contravene the core principles of the United Nations Charter.

The Unity Labour Party reaffirms the 2014 declaration of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) that our region is a Zone of Peace. We restate our commitment to the principles of territorial integrity, non-intervention in domestic affairs, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the prohibition on the unilateral use of force. These principles are reinforced by the United Nations Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States, which affirms that no nation may seek hegemony over another and that every people has permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.

We express concern that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has thus far been unable to speak with a unified voice in explicitly reaffirming these basic foundational principles or in condemning their violation. We are also concerned that CELAC appears to be similarly constrained in doing so.

For decades, the principled defence of international law has been a cornerstone of Caribbean foreign policy. That defence is not driven by a desire to interfere in extra-regional conflicts or to antagonise great powers, but rather to safeguard our own existence through sustained support and promotion of the rules that protect small, vulnerable states from military domination and externally-imposed regime change. Silence in the face of such blatant violations does not serve the interests of our peoples. It instead risks inviting further interventions by those who would impose their will on CARICOM states.

The Unity Labour Party also condemns the recent practice by the United States military of killing alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. The summary execution or alleged crimes that would not carry the death penalty even if proven, represents a grave abuse of power. While the Unity Labour Party rejects narcotics and illegal arms trafficking in all its forms, we insist that alleged offenders be arrested, detained, and tried in accordance with basic standards of due process and human decency.

The Unity Labour Party therefore respectfully calls on the United States authorities to immediately release President Maduro and Mrs. Maduro. We demand that the Government and people of Venezuela regain and retain full sovereign control over their natural resources. We urge that the United States administration renounce any claim to “run” or otherwise control the actions of the Venezuelan Government. We further request clear assurances that the United States will not use its military to depose or kidnap the leaders of any other Latin American or Caribbean state.

Finally, we invite the United States to join the member states of CELAC in taking the necessary steps to restore and preserve Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace. A mature conversation, without pre-conditions, between all the relevant States is urgent, necessary, and desirable.