US seeks to topple governments: Ortega
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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega condemns the deployment of US warships to the Caribbean, calling it a cover to intimidate Latin American governments.
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Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega gestures to government supporters after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega stated on Tuesday that the deployment of US warships to the Caribbean, rather than being related to what he called the "charade" of a drug war, represents an attempt to overthrow governments.
Ortega accused the Trump administration of deploying warships "to intimidate Latin American governments" and further asserted that this action was done to intimidate people and to attempt to overthrow governments.
"How do they prove that they were drug traffickers and that they were carrying drugs to the United States? That's all theater," Ortega stated, questioning the killing of 11 US-alleged "narcoterrorists" in a US naval strike on a small speed boat, which Trump claimed belonged to a drug cartel run by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Ortega's condemnation of US actions in Latin American waters is the latest in a series of outcries by South American leaders in response to Trump deploying the US Navy to allegedly combat drug trafficking.
On September 2, the Colombian president warned that a military action against Caracas could have devastating consequences for the entire Greater Colombia region and drew a comparison between that potential scenario and the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
Petro's concern centers on the impact a "violent aggression" would have on the social and political structure of neighboring countries, stating that "if there is a violent aggression against Venezuela, what we see in Syria and Iraq will be the reality for the entire Greater Colombian region."
He further warned that "mass murderers will seize territories, driven by greed, and states will be weakened as instruments of social peace."
Speaking at a September 1 press conference, Maduro stated that eight US military vessels armed with 1,200 missiles and a nuclear submarine had been deployed off Venezuela’s coasts, a move which he characterized as an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral, absolutely criminal, and bloody threat.
“Venezuela is a peaceful state, but its people are made of warriors and they will never cede before threats or blackmail,” Maduro stated.
