Tue Aug 19 16:26:44 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the deployment of 4.5 million militia members in response to what he calls US threats and aggression. This follows the US doubling its bounty for Maduro’s arrest on drug trafficking charges and deploying military vessels to the Caribbean as part of a crackdown on drug cartels. Maduro accuses the US of making “extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats” and calls on his supporters to form peasant and worker militias to defend Venezuela’s territory.

**News Article:**

**Venezuela’s Maduro Mobilizes Millions of Militiamen Amid Rising Tensions with US**

**Caracas, Venezuela – August 19, 2025** – President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela announced today the deployment of over 4.5 million militia members to defend the country against what he termed “US threats.” The announcement comes in the wake of the United States doubling its bounty for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million and intensifying its military presence in the Caribbean under the guise of anti-drug operations.

“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory,” Maduro declared on state television, vowing that the militias are “prepared, activated, and armed.”

The US administration, led by President Donald Trump, has long accused Maduro of leading a cocaine trafficking gang, “Cartel de los Soles,” and has imposed sanctions against the group and Maduro’s government. Washington does not recognize Maduro’s last two election victories.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello echoed Maduro’s sentiments, asserting Venezuela’s right to a presence in the Caribbean Sea, which he referred to as “our sea, our property, Venezuelan territory.”

While Maduro did not directly mention the recent US actions, he expressed gratitude to those who have shown support in the face of what he called a “rotten refrain of threats.” Furthermore, he urged his supporters to expedite the formation of peasant and worker militias in all industries, proclaiming, “Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela.”

The escalating tensions between the two nations raise concerns about further instability in the region.

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