Venezuela In Turmoil After Maduro Capture As UN Warns, Trump Eyes Oil

By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter

Kenya, January 6 2026 -The political and economic landscape in Venezuela has entered a highly volatile phase after U.S. forces captured former President Nicolás Maduro in early January 2026. While Maduro faces federal court in New York on drug and narco-terrorism charges, global institutions and governments warn that the operation could deepen instability and set a dangerous precedent for international law and regional security.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the United Nations Security Council on Jan. 5, raising serious concerns about the ramifications of the U.S. military operation. Guterres told the council that the capture, carried out without apparent authorization from the Venezuelan government or the U.N. Security Council, could intensify instability within Venezuela and throughout the region.

He warned that it also posed risks to the established norms governing state sovereignty and the prohibition on use of force in international relations. “I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted,” Guterres said, urging all political actors in Venezuela to pursue inclusive and democratic dialogue toward a peaceful resolution.

At the same emergency session, delegates from Colombia and other Latin American nations condemned the U.S. action as a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty, while representatives from Russia and China also criticised Washington’s unilateral use of force, all underscoring the diplomatic fractures exposed by the operation.

Maduro in U.S. Custody, Legal Proceedings Underway

Maduro, who has long denied wrongdoing, appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Jan. 5 to face expanded charges that include narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine trafficking. Reports indicate he pleaded not guilty, asserting that his removal was effectively a kidnapping rather than a lawful arrest.

Alongside Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores has also been charged and appeared before the same court, heightening domestic and international scrutiny of the U.S. legal case, and fuelling fierce debate over the legitimacy and reach of U.S. jurisdiction in prosecuting a former head of state.

Interim Government and Political Uncertainty

Back in Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez, a long-time ally of Maduro who also served as vice president and oil minister, was formally sworn in as interim president shortly after the capture. Rodríguez initially condemned the U.S. operation as an “illegal act of aggression,” asserting that Venezuela’s state institutions remained intact and functional.

Despite rhetorical denunciations, other reports indicate Rodríguez has signalled a willingness to cooperate on certain governance and economic fronts, though this position remains highly contentious among both government loyalists and opposition figures.

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In the immediate aftermath of the operation, U.S. President Donald Trump made highly unusual comments that have reverberated through diplomatic circles and global energy markets. Trump stated that the United States would “run” Venezuela, at least temporarily, and indicated that major U.S. oil companies could play a central role in revitalising Venezuela’s vast petroleum sector, long crippled by sanctions, mismanagement and underinvestment.

Trump specifically said that U.S. firms would be invited to invest billions of dollars to repair Venezuela’s “badly broken” oil infrastructure and begin producing crude again, claiming that doing so would generate profits both for the companies and for Venezuela.

He described the oil industry as a key focus of Washington’s engagement in the country’s transitional period. These remarks have sparked immediate controversy, with critics characterising them as tantamount to economic interventionism and implicit control over Venezuela’s sovereign oil resources, the largest proven oil reserves of any country in the world.

The plans for U.S. energy firms have not yet been formalised in policy or law and face legal, commercial and diplomatic hurdles, but they signal a dramatic shift in U.S. energy ambitions tied to foreign policy.

Regional and Global Reaction

The United Nations’ pushback is echoed by other global actors. Guterres warned that international law must be upheld even as the world grapples with Venezuela’s domestic crisis. His call for inclusive dialogue underscores concerns that military actions, even when justified by criminal indictments, could undermine regional stability and set a precedent for future cross- border interventions.

Latin American nations remain deeply divided.

Colombia publicly condemned the U.S. operation for violating sovereignty, while elsewhere in the hemisphere responses ranged from cautious support for removing Maduro to outright denunciation. Meanwhile, countries aligned with Russia and China have castigated the U.S., accusing it of undermining international norms.

Even as Maduro faces trial in the United States and Trump touts a role for U.S. oil interests, Venezuela’s future is murky. Key questions linger over who truly controls Venezuela’s domestic institutions, how the country’s economic assets will be managed, and what legal authority the United States has to influence the nation’s resource wealth.

Analysts caution that instability could persist if political dialogue does not encompass all major factions in Venezuelan society, emphasising that any transition must respect both national sovereignty and the rule of law to forestall deeper conflict and regional spill-over.