On 15 October 2025, the Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement issued a statement of solidarity with Venezuela at their meeting in Uganda, the current chair of the Non-Aligned Movement. Voices of alarm, especially that of the Venezuelan External Relations Minister Yvan Gil, have also been heard at the United Nations General Assembly currently in session in New York.
Tensions between the government led by Donald Trump and the government led by Nicolas Maduro have been growing. U.S. warships have moved closer to the coast of Venezuela where they have sunk small speed boats suspected of transporting drugs. 27 people on these small speed boats have been killed despite growing questions over the legality of striking these boats under international law. Under the international rules that govern armed conflict, you cannot target civilians unless they are actually engaged in hostilities against you.
In addition to the conflict on the Caribbean, President Trump publicly stated that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been authorized to carry out covert operations within Venezuela. As the CIA operates within many countries without pubic authorization, the publicity concerning CIA efforts within Venezuela increases the tensions. The award of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Ms Maria Corina Machado, a 58 years old Venezuelan opposition leader living in Venezuela but in hiding has drawn wide public attention to Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government, which was already a repressive regime as concerns human rights, on 30 September 2025 proclaimed what in practice is a "state of emergency" for the first time, giving the government very broad powers to act. There is increasing discussion if the U.S. government is planning for regime change in Venezuela.
As representatives of non-governmental organizations, we must see what is possible to undertake to reduce these tensions and establish more reasonable relations between the two countries.
René Wadlow, Association of World Citizens
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