Caracas issues urgent UN appeal as officials report casualties from American military strikes
The Venezuelan government has issued an urgent demand for proof that President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are alive, following claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that the pair had been "captured and flown out of the country."
Vice President Breaks Silence
In a dramatic audio message broadcast on state television network VTV, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed that the government does not know the current location of President Maduro or his wife.
"We demand immediate proof of life from the United States government," Rodríguez stated, calling on Washington to provide evidence of the president's condition.
The Vice President also reported that U.S. military strikes had resulted in fatalities among Venezuelan officials, military personnel, and civilians across the nation.
Emergency Appeal to United Nations
Foreign Minister Yván Gil has transmitted an urgent letter to the UN Security Council, formally requesting an emergency session to address what Caracas is calling an unlawful military aggression.
The communication, shared publicly by the Foreign Ministry, "rejects, repudiates, and denounces" the attack as a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
Venezuelan officials assert the operation aims to seize the country's substantial oil and mineral reserves, characterizing the intervention as a "colonial war" designed to force regime change.
The letter also references ongoing U.S. naval blockades, which Venezuelan diplomats have previously described as "acts of piracy."
Military Leadership Responds
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López confirmed that American combat helicopters launched rocket attacks on urban areas. He announced full mobilization of the armed forces to resist what he called "the worst aggression" in Venezuelan history.
"Do not succumb to the panic," Padrino López urged citizens.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello echoed calls for calm, advising Venezuelans to trust the remaining leadership and warning against actions that would "make things easier for the invading enemy."
National Emergency Declared
The government has declared a "state of external commotion," the legal designation for a national emergency stemming from foreign aggression. Officials are calling on all social and political organizations to activate mobilization plans and take to the streets in defense of national sovereignty.
UN Representative Samuel Moncada, who has previously characterized U.S. policy toward Venezuela as "sustained coercion," is expected to formally present these grievances before the international body.
Photo: Politico