In Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, thousands of Chavista supporters and public employees gathered this weekend in plazas and barracks to join the Bolivarian National Militia (MNB). The government of Nicolás Maduro organized this registration campaign as a direct response to the deployment of US warships in Caribbean waters, in addition to growing political and judicial pressure from Washington.
The registration took place in Caracas's Plaza Bolívar, located a few meters from the Miraflores Palace. Long lines of citizens were seen waiting to sign up for the militia, a force created in 2009 by former President Hugo Chávez and officially incorporated into the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) in 2020.
Voices from the row
Among those who joined the call was Jorge Navas, a member of the Resistance and Rebellion collective, who explained to EFE that, in his view, the country is experiencing what he defined as a "cognitive war." For him, the situation requires the people to organize and be prepared in the event of a war. "This is a people who understand that there is a common enemy here and that they must prepare to defend what is rightful," he stated.
Another participant was Aidee Romero, head of a Hugo Chávez Battle Unit (UBCH), who insisted that the defense of the country cannot be limited to a partisan issue. “We ask every Venezuelan who loves their homeland to join us, regardless of whether they think differently than us. We cannot allow the country to be sullied. Hopefully it won't be with bullets, but independence must be defended,” she stated.
Caracas Mayor Carmen Meléndez also attended the event, along with local authorities. According to images broadcast on state television, similar scenes were seen in states such as Lara, Bolívar, Táchira, Trujillo, Sucre, and La Guaira, where there were also long lines of citizens eager to register.
Maduro activates 4.5 million militiamen
The registration operation is part of orders issued days ago by Maduro, who ordered the mobilization of 4.5 million militia members across the country. The measure was a reaction to the United States' announcement, which increased the reward for information leading to his capture to $50 million. Meanwhile, the reward for Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello amounts to $25 million.
This increase in rewards became provocatively visible on the Colombian-Venezuelan border. In the city of Villa del Rosario (Norte de Santander), a billboard appeared with photographs of Maduro and Cabello, offering those sums in exchange for information leading to their arrest. The structure was dismantled hours later by order of local authorities.
Pressure from Washington
Tensions escalated after the announcement of the deployment of a U.S. amphibious squadron consisting of the ships USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale, with some 4,500 military personnel on board. According to military sources cited by Reuters, the ships could reach waters near Venezuela within a few days.
The United States government argues that the operation seeks to curb what it calls "narco-terrorist organizations." White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated: "We are prepared to use all our power to stop the flow of drugs into our country."
Since 2020, Washington has accused Maduro and senior Chavista officials of leading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, an alleged drug trafficking network made up of high-ranking military officials. Caracas rejects these accusations and maintains that they are part of a destabilization and "hybrid warfare" strategy directed from the United States.
A call for calm
Despite the tense atmosphere, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López urged everyone to avoid alarmism. “No one should become nervous. This is not a mandatory national mobilization. It is a voluntary registration in a powerful body created by the Bolivarian Revolution,” he stated.
Padrino López emphasized that the militia already has a presence throughout the country and explained that the registration process, initially scheduled for the weekend, will be repeated over several Saturdays and Sundays with the goal of strengthening the civil-military structure that supports the FANB.
The opposition seeks to reorganize
While the ruling party demonstrated its capacity to rally in the streets, sectors of the opposition worked on their own political strategy. The new Union and Change platform, which brings together leaders such as Henrique Capriles and Tomás Guanipa, called for a shared project based on pluralism, alternation of power, and decentralization.
In a statement, the group asserted that the country needs a democratic and peaceful solution to the crisis, defending human rights and equal opportunities without discrimination. The emergence of this platform coincides with continued allegations of fraud by the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), which rejects the results of last year's presidential elections, in which Maduro was declared the winner over opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.
