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African trade unions have expressed strong condemnation of the United States’ recent military actions in Venezuela, describing them as a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty.
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa, has voiced full solidarity with the workers and people of Venezuela, aligning itself with a joint statement issued on January 3, 2026 by the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC, and the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, TUCA..
ITUC-Africa emphasized that the detention of Venezuela’s leader and his spouse through military force constitutes a serious breach of international law and an affront to the principles of sovereignty and self-determination. The organization warned that such foreign-engineered coups destabilize nations and risk wider conflicts that could affect global peace.
General Secretary of ITUC-Africa, Akhator Joel Odigie, said, “We strongly condemn the use of military force to detain the leader of a sovereign state together with his wife. This act is abhorrent and represents a serious violation of international law.
Workers and ordinary people always suffer the consequences of such aggression.
“History shows that unilateral military actions create instability. Actions driven by geopolitical and oil interests, rather than democracy or human rights, set dangerous precedents. Africa has experienced the consequences of external interference, and we call on the United Nations to address this aggression fully and without double standards.”
The head of Venezuela’s military on Sunday urged the country’s population to resume their normal activities, after US forces bombed the country and seized its leader Nicolas Maduro.
“I call on the people of Venezuela to resume their activities of all kinds, economic, work and education, in the coming days,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a televised address
Venezuela’s military also recognized Delcy Rodriguez, deputy to ousted president Nicolas Maduro, as the country’s acting leader, after US forces extracted the former head of state to face trial.
Amid uncertainty following the leftist president’s dramatic capture, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez appeared to throw his weight behind Rodriguez, who US President Donald Trump had earlier indicated was a figure Washington could work with.
