The African Union (AU) called for respect for international law and, although it did not directly condemn the attack by the United States of America (USA) on Venezuela, stated that the South American country’s internal problems must be resolved internally.
In a statement released on Saturday night (3), the pan-African organisation defended an “inclusive political dialogue” among the Venezuelan population, with several African countries expressing rejection of Washington’s actions and some showing solidarity with Caracas, such as Angola, following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, MP Cilia Flores.
“The African Union reaffirms its firm commitment to the fundamental principles of international law, in particular respect for the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,” the AU said in the statement.
The pan-African organisation stressed “the importance of dialogue, the peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for constitutional and institutional frameworks” within a context of “cooperation and peaceful coexistence among nations,” adding that “the internal challenges facing Venezuela can only be sustainably addressed through an inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves.”
In this regard, the AU urged all parties to act “with restraint, responsibility and respect for international law, in order to avoid any escalation and preserve regional peace and stability.” However, the South African government was more forceful in its reaction to the US attack, stressing in a statement that these events “undermine the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations.”
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil Pinto, said on his Telegram channel that he had received messages of support from countries such as Angola, Namibia, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Chad, Niger and The Gambia.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday (3) that US armed forces carried out “a successful large-scale attack” on Venezuelan soil and that Maduro and Flores were “captured and removed from the country.”
Maduro spent his first night in detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal prison in Brooklyn, New York, where he faces charges of alleged involvement in drug trafficking and corruption, while his vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, received an order from Venezuela’s Supreme Court to assume the country’s interim presidency.
Source: Diário Económico
