Above photo: Mass mobilization in Caracas, Venezuela on Sunday, January 4 rejecting the US military action in Venezuela. Rome Arrieche.
And kidnapping of President Maduro.
Following the shocking invasion of Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro, African states, social movements, trade unions, and political parties have responded with strong condemnation of the action, while expressing solidarity and support for the people of Venezuela.
The United States’ military invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores on January 3, 2026, has led to a wave of sharp condemnation across Africa. Governments, political parties, trade unions, revolutionary movements, and solidarity networks have denounced the action as a flagrant violation of international law, a return to imperial “might makes right”, and a dangerous escalation threatening global peace.
From official diplomatic channels in South Africa to socialist parties in Zambia and Tunisia, and from militant trade unions to anti-imperialist platforms across the continent, African voices have responded with unusual clarity and unity.
South Africa, in a formal statement, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, stressing that the invasion constituted a “manifest violation” of the UN Charter.
The country’s head of diplomacy, Clayson Monyela, expressed alarm and asked publicly:
“Where’s the ‘international rules-based order’? Are we back to the law of the jungle now?”
Venezuela’s ambassador to South Africa, Carlos Feo Acevedo, described the attack as “clear criminal and terrorist acts” by the US administration.
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a press statement, saying they were alarmed at the unilateral and unauthorized invasion of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela by the United States of America and the subsequent abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Expressing strong reservations against the unilateral use of force, they strongly deplore such acts that violate the Charter of the United Nations and international law, as well as the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of states. Noting that attempts at the occupation of foreign territories and apparent external control of oil resources have extremely adverse implications on international stability and the global order. Also of concern to Ghana are statements by US President Donald Trump that the US will “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition” and that large US oil companies will be asked to “go in”. These declarations are reminiscent of the colonial and imperialist era.
Trade unions and working-class movements
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) issued a press statement, NUMSA condemned the invasion as an illegal regime-change operation aimed at strangling the Bolivarian Revolution and seizing Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth.
NUMSA framed the assault on Venezuela within a broader pattern of US imperial conduct, linking it to sanctions, trade wars, and economic aggression against Africa itself. The union recalled US tariffs on South African goods, the collapse of AGOA benefits, and punitive trade measures against countries like Lesotho as evidence that Africa, too, has been a victim of Washington’s coercive power.
Calling the kidnapping of President Maduro an international crime, NUMSA demanded urgent action by BRICS, urged mass resistance to imperialism, and warned that unchecked US aggression would push the world toward barbarism.
“The world is today faced with the stark choice: capitalist barbarism or socialism,” the statement concluded.
Socialist and communist parties across Africa speak out
Across the continent, socialist and communist parties reacted with striking ideological coherence.
In Zambia, Socialist Party President Dr Fred M’membe condemned the strikes as a war crime, describing the disappearance of President Maduro as a dangerous escalation. Saying that the operation was motivated by Washington’s inability to tolerate a government that prioritizes social welfare over multinational corporate interests.
In Tunisia, the Workers’ Party denounced the attack as an act of “banditry and state terrorism,” warning that the assault on Venezuela opens the door to international arbitrariness and mirrors ongoing wars in Palestine and the Middle East. The party framed the invasion as part of a wider imperial strategy to reassert U.S. dominance over Latin America, long treated as Washington’s “backyard”.
The Communist Party of Swaziland described the bombing of Venezuela as barbaric and reaffirmed solidarity with the Venezuelan working class and peasantry, declaring that the struggle against imperialism is inseparable from the struggle for global liberation.
Anti-imperialist and Pan-African solidarity
Revolutionary and anti-imperialist platforms also mobilized rapidly. The World Anti-Imperialist Platform called on its members worldwide to organize protests at US embassies, issue statements of condemnation, and strengthen international defense brigades in solidarity with Venezuela. Invoking the legacy of the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War, the platform raised the slogan “No Pasarán!”, declaring unwavering support for Venezuela’s resistance.
In Morocco, the Democratic Network in Solidarity with Peoples announced mass protests in front of parliament, condemning what it described as US and Zionist imperial arrogance and warning that the kidnapping of a sitting president represents a direct challenge to the entire international system.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Antifascist International denounced the attack as an imperialist attempt to destroy the revolutionary legacy of Simón Bolívar and Hugo Chávez, calling for global unity against capitalism and imperial domination.
Guinean activist Oyé Beavogui, speaking as part of the African Democratic Revolution currently, described the abduction of President Maduro as “state kidnapping” and a historic insult to the dignity and sovereignty of Latin American peoples.
In a statement, Pan Africanism Today declared its unconditional solidarity with the Venezuelan people, the organization affirmed its support for the Bolivarian government and President Maduro, stressing that the Bolivarian Revolution is a mass popular movement of millions of people rather than a project centered on one individual. And the attack was motivated by Venezuela resources. Drawing historical parallels, Pan Africanism Today compared the situation in Venezuela to NATO’s 2011 intervention in Libya. It argued that similar tactics, economic sanctions, international propaganda, and military force, were used to dismantle Libyan sovereignty, leading to long-term instability across North Africa and the Sahel.
The West African Peoples’ Organization (WAPO/OPAO) also condemned what it described as an unacceptable act of aggression by the United States against Venezuela, following reports of a military attack and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
WAPO said it “strongly condemns this act of aggression, which is contrary to all international norms and principles, particularly the respect for the sovereignty of independent states.”
The Socialist Movement of Ghana also put out a statement of solidarity with the people of Venezuela against the aggression, saying that this is a defining moment that demands clarity, courage, and action. The defense of Venezuela today is the defense of all peoples resisting exploitation, domination, and imperialist control. “History teaches us that silence in the face of imperialist aggression only emboldens it. We have witnessed the consequences of the interventions in Libya, Iraq, and Syria: shattered states, hundreds of thousands dead, refugee crises, and the flourishing of terrorism. Our collective protest today can be the deterrent that prevents a full-scale war.”
In East Africa the move was condemned widely by social movements and parties, including the Tanzania Socialist Forum, which said the aggression constituted a clear violation of international law. It cited Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of any state, as well as Article 51, arguing that Venezuela posed no threat that could justify claims of self-defense by the United States.
The Communist Party Marxist Kenya (CPM-K) issued a statement of solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The party expressed “militant and unshakeable solidarity” with the Venezuelan people, the country’s armed forces, and the Bolivarian government led by President Nicolás Maduro. The statement said Venezuela is facing an imperialist assault aimed at undermining its sovereignty and political independence.
A common African message
The African reactions converge around several key demands:
- The US invasion of Venezuela is widely seen as a gross violation of international law and sovereignty.
- The kidnapping of President Maduro is described as state terrorism and an unprecedented escalation.
- Many African actors link the attack to resource imperialism, particularly Venezuela’s oil wealth.
- There is deep concern that global institutions, especially the UN, risk irrelevance if such actions go unchallenged.
- The assault is viewed as part of a broader pattern of imperial violence, from Palestine to Africa and Latin America.
For much of Africa, this solidarity is crucial because Venezuela’s fate is not a distant Latin American issue, but a warning of how imperial power continues to operate against any people who attempt an independent path in defense of their resources and sovereignty.
