The scenic Venezuela Refinery in Puerto Cabello, ready to welcome the legions of American oil company employees
No one could have anticipated . . .
The United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitaries are trying to track down US citizens, one week after the capture of the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
In a security alert sent out on Saturday, the state department said there were reports of armed members of pro-regime militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence that the occupants were US citizens or supporters of the country.
“US citizens in Venezuela should remain vigilant and exercise caution when traveling by road,” the alert added, urging citizens to depart immediately now that some international flights from Venezuela have restarted.
You don’t say.
The US closed its embassy in Venezuela back in 2019, so it’s not like this kind of warning is entirely new. But this ought to be a flashing red light and blaring siren to all who think that after the abduction of Maduro, everything is just peachy-keen for American oil companies to send hundreds of civilian employees into the country to start extracting oil.
I await Trump’s triumphant visit to Venezuela to receive the accolades of a grateful Central American nation.