©️AFP
Caracas, August 23, 2025.- While three American destroyers equipped with missiles are positioned in international waters off Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro launched a national campaign to enlist in Milicia Bolivariana. Thousands of civilians, civil servants, police, retirees and students registered this weekend to join this parallel force integrated into the regular army.
The government presents this mobilization as a response to a « threat of invasion » of the United States. Washington, for its part, claims that naval deployment is part of anti-drug operations.
La Milicia, created by Hugo Chávez, now claims more than 4.5 million members, according to Maduro. It remains one of the pillars of the regime, with a strong ideological burden. In the enrollment queues, volunteers called « Viva la patria! » After taking the oath.
« Homeland calls us, we have to prepare « Oscar Matheus, 66-year-old listener, says, while Rosy Paravabith, 51, points out that « the country needs its children « .
The recruitment centres have been established throughout the territory, including the Miraflores Presidential Palace and the Cuartel de la Montaña, a symbolic place where the remains of Hugo Chávez lie. The recruits attended a documentary on the 1902 naval blockade before being initiated into military armament.
For Maduro, this American deployment is a maneuver « immoral, criminal and illegal » for a change of regime. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López promised to « defending the homeland until the last breath « , while the opposition called for boycotting recruitment.
W.A.
