International
Essequibo referendum campaign begins in Venezuela
November 7 |
The electoral campaign for the consultative referendum for El Esequibo began this Monday in Venezuela by organizations with political purposes, guilds, unions, universities, civil society, the Popular Power and indigenous communities.
For this purpose, this weekend, the regional, municipal and parochial campaign commands were sworn in, with the objective of joining wills and calling for the unity of all the people in defense of the territory of the Guayana Esequiba.
The consultative referendum is scheduled for December 3, in which the population will have to answer five questions, as informed by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
“I keep receiving photos of the formation of the ‘All Venezuela’ Campaign Commands, throughout the national territory. I am sure it will be a campaign of national pride, of union of Venezuelans in defense of our historical rights over the Essequiba Guyana”, wrote Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in his account in the social network X.
Likewise, he highlighted that “there is strength in unity, therefore, Venezuelans are united for a single cause of national love: our Essequibo. On 3D we voted 5 times Yes!”.
Previously, the President responded to the statements made by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, who expressed himself against the historical rights of Venezuela over the Essequiba Guyana.
“Outrageous is the position of this gentleman against a free and independent nation, it is obvious, he is a despicable being who serves the vile interests of the transnationals that intend to dispossess our country of a part of its territory”, said President Maduro.
Meanwhile, he assured that “the Essequibo is part of the whole of Venezuela, it belongs to us because of the heritage and historical struggle of our Liberators and Liberators”. Likewise, he reiterated the firm position of the South American nation “for Peace, dialogue, diplomacy and Justice”.
On the other hand, she acknowledged the work of the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fanb) for acting quickly, denouncing and rejecting the attempt to disregard the historical right of the country.
Venezuelan Vice-President: national sovereignty resides in the people
In the afternoon hours of this day, thousands of people took to the streets throughout the Venezuelan territory as a show of support to the referendum to be held on December 3.
In Caracas (capital), the march was attended by the Venezuelan Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, who made exclusive statements to the teleSUR news multiplatform in which she highlighted Venezuela’s will to defend the Essequiba Guyana.
“From very early, six in the morning, Venezuela dawned in tricolor, all Venezuela singing our Bolivarian National Anthem. All of Venezuela began with military marches and all the states of the country joined in, marching with a single purpose: to defend our Guayana Esequiba, to tell Guyana that it acts as an employee of Exxon Mobil. To tell Almagro. To tell the United States that they are not in charge here, that the people of Venezuela are in charge here”, he emphasized.
In view of the approval by the Guyanese Parliament of a motion ordering the Venezuelan people not to carry out the referendum, Rodriguez stated that sovereignty resides in the people.
“Here the people of Venezuela rule, national sovereignty resides in the people, and on December 3 we will all go out to vote five times yes to the five questions. Five times yes for the defense of our historical morality, for the defense of our legacy of the liberator Simón Bolívar, for the defense of what belongs to us, which is Essequiba Guyana”, he stressed.
International
Trump: U.S. has hit three venezuelan narco boats in Caribbean
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American forces have struck three suspected Venezuelan drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean so far, not two as previously reported.
“We took down boats. It was actually three boats, not two, but you only saw two,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for a state visit to the United Kingdom.
The president was asked about remarks by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who accused Washington of plotting to invade his country.
“Stop sending members of the Tren de Aragua to the United States. Stop sending drugs to the United States,” Trump responded.
The Republican leader mentioned this third vessel a day after announcing that U.S. forces had struck a speedboat in which, according to him, three “terrorists” were killed. Later, from the Oval Office, he claimed the boat had been carrying cocaine and fentanyl.
The attacks come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas, as the U.S. military maintains a Caribbean deployment under the banner of counter-narcotics operations.
The Trump administration accuses Maduro of heading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, which the Venezuelan government denies. Washington has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture.
On Monday, Maduro said communications with the U.S. were “broken” in the face of what he called an “aggression” and declared that Venezuela is now “better prepared” in case of an “armed struggle.”
International
Ecuador’s Noboa declares State of Emergency in seven provinces amid fuel price protests
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in seven provinces due to what he described as “serious internal unrest,” as road blockades and demonstrations erupted in response to the elimination of the diesel subsidy and growing concerns over insecurity.
The 60-day measure applies to the provinces of Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Azuay, Bolívar, Cotopaxi, and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.
Since Monday, partial protests have been reported in Pichincha, Carchi, Azuay, and Imbabura. On Tuesday, road blockades extended to northern Pichincha and routes in Carchi, near the Colombian border. In response, the Executive headquarters was temporarily relocated to Cotopaxi and the Vice Presidency to Imbabura.
The presidential decree states that the measure comes amid “strikes that have disrupted public order and provoked acts of violence, endangering the safety of citizens and their rights to free movement, work, and economic activity.”
According to the decree, the goal is to “prevent the radicalization of disruptive actions” in the affected provinces and to limit the impact on the population. It further emphasizes that the situation requires an “exceptional intervention by state institutions to safeguard security, guarantee citizens’ rights, maintain public order, and preserve social peace.”
Social organizations and labor groups, including the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), have strongly rejected the diesel price increase following the subsidy’s elimination.
The decree justifies the two-month duration as necessary “to ensure a strengthened state presence in the affected territories, restore order, and prevent further acts of violence against people, public, and private property.”
International
Colombia’s special peace tribunal hands down first sentence against former FARC leaders
Seven former rebel leaders, including their last known commander Rodrigo Londoño, alias “Timochenko,” have been handed the maximum penalty established in the 2016 peace agreement.
Under the ruling, they will face mobility restrictions and be required to carry out activities aimed at restoring the dignity of victims, such as helping locate missing persons and participating in landmine clearance in territories where they once operated. These alternative sentences to prison were part of the historic deal signed in 2016 between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) —once the most powerful guerrilla group in Latin America— and then-President Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) found the ex-commanders guilty of being responsible for the kidnapping of 21,396 people before laying down their arms and transitioning into a political party. “Investigations showed that kidnapping became a systematic practice. These crimes not only broke the law but also left open wounds that persist in families, communities, and the daily life of the country,” a magistrate told reporters in Bogotá, in the absence of the former commanders, who had accepted responsibility for their crimes back in 2022.
It took the tribunal more than seven years to deliver its first ruling, amid criticism from opponents of the peace deal who argue it is too lenient on the rebels. The former commanders still face charges for other crimes against humanity, including the recruitment of minors.
During their decades-long conflict, the FARC held hostage soldiers, police officers, businesspeople, and political leaders, including French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. Images of emaciated captives chained in jungle camps shocked the world and became symbols of the conflict.
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