Amid the uncertainty in Venezuela following the announcement by the United States Attorney General's Office that the reward for the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro has increased, the Presidential Honor Guard and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence sent a message through social media.
The military released a video showing Major General Javier José Marcano Tabata, commander of the Presidential Honor Guard and director general of Military Counterintelligence, expressing his support for Nicolás Maduro and his government.
The Venezuelan militia member recalled that this is a plan supported by the Pentagon to continue blocking the country's "economic, food, medical, and energy development" through sanctions imposed against the regime.
Marcano called the accusations a "flagrant violation of international law" and of the self-determination of peoples, which goes"against the dignity of the Venezuelan people." He asserted that it is a "permanent monument to lies and falsehood" that seeks to "destabilize peace."
In the video, the soldier asserted that"no one can destroy the powerful Bolivarian and anti-imperialist sentiment felt by the majority of Venezuelans," while surrounded by a large number of military personnel.
At another point in the speech, the commander sent a message to Maduro: “Count on our absolute loyalty. The Presidential Honor Guard and the DGCIM are ready and willing to serve wherever you consider employing them, at any time and under any circumstances.”
In the statement read by the military officer, the United States was compared to “a sinister beast that seeks to seize the wealth of other regions and enslave their inhabitants,” citing the humanitarian crisis “generated by North America in the Palestinian territory.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Washington has doubled the reward to $50 million for the capture of dictator Maduro, considering him one of the"world's biggest drug traffickers."
Bondi accused Maduro of using "terrorist organizations like the Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Cartel of the Suns to introduce lethal drugs and violence" into the United States.
Venezuela's National Assembly also expressed its support for Maduro, calling the increased US reward for his capture an"aggression."
