We, the undersigned organizations, peace advocates, and human rights activists from Mindanao and across the Philippines, unequivocally condemn the recent United States military operations in Venezuela at dawn on 3 January 2026. The targeted attacks on civilian and government facilities in Caracas, as well as in the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira, constitute a grave breach of Venezuelan sovereignty. These actions violate the core principle of non-intervention enshrined in the United Nations Charter and undermine the most basic foundations of the so-called “rules-based international order” that the United Nations and civilized states strongly uphold.

These acts of aggression must be understood within the long-standing framework of the Monroe Doctrine that the United States has unilaterally declared as part of its sphere of influence, wherein North, South, and Latin America are treated as domains subject only to U.S. control. This doctrine, though never recognized in international law, has been repeatedly used to justify military interventions, regime changes, and economic coercion against sovereign nations in its sphere of influence. Its implications are clear: sovereignty is selectively applied, and international rules are enforced only when convenient to imperial power.

Abduction, military invasion, and coercive regime change as political tools reveal the cold logic of imperialism. It is a system where powerful empires presume the right to dictate the fate of weaker and smaller sovereign nations, oppress their people, and seize natural resources through brute force. It is barbarism! In fact, it’s an application of an old principle that “might is right” applied in today’s world order.

Let us be clear: this is not about “law enforcement,” “counter-terrorism,” or the protection of democracy. The Caracas raid and related operations are part of a calculated strategy to reassert U.S. dominance in the region, seize control of Venezuela’s oil reserves, and neutralize a state that refuses to submit to imperial dictates. Notably, Venezuela itself remains the primary military target, while Cuba is being strategically isolated and economically threatened.

The aggression was not limited to the events of January 3, 2026. A founding member in the formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1960, Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in 1976, a move that hurt the United States of America and has become a rallying point for Hugo Chávez’s administration in the early 90s, which sought to unite Venezuelans and other Latin‑American nations in opposition to U.S. pressure. Since then, successive U.S. administrations have continued to impose blockades, economic sanctions, and political interference—including support for coups and opposition movements—against the country.

Oil remains the central interest. In the context of the failure of U.S. tariff-based trade policies, particularly under the Trump administration, Venezuelan oil has become an alternative mechanism to stabilize U.S. economic and strategic interests. This has turned Venezuela into a geopolitical bullseye, while simultaneously making Cuba highly dependent on Venezuelan energy vulnerable to secondary pressure and destabilization.

The United Nations, a multilateral institution founded by the Allied forces led by the U.S in the aftermath of World War II precisely to prevent unilateral aggression and resolve international conflict through collective action, has once again failed to fulfill its mandate in the face of unilateral U.S invasion of Venezuela. With no international consensus authorizing these attacks, no legitimate presidency or external authority granting intervention rights, and no sanctioned international military base justifying the operations, the silence and passive actions of these multilateral institutions raises serious questions. The irony is unmistakable: the founding nations (permanent members of the security council) that helped design and lead the international legal order now openly violate it. The institution must be assessed and held accountable for its failure to uphold international law, protect civilian populations, and restrain powerful states from acting above the law in the current global context.

The stakes of this struggle extend far beyond Caracas. From the shores of Mindanao and the Philippines to the streets of Palestine, from Ukraine to Hong Kong to the soils of the African continent, we see the same pattern of imperialist aggression. For us in the Philippines and the Global South, these interventions are inseparable from the rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, where the United States continues to redeploy its forces to contain economic rivals like China at the expense of regional peace.

It has been in all literature that all imperialist-led regime-changes do not bring real democracy and sovereignty, instead , they bring divisions, chaos, displacement, corruption and the plunder of the natural resources, and ecological catastrophes.

Our Demands:

• An end to all foreign military actions on Venezuelan soil and throughout the Caribbean. Continued armed presence only deepens the trauma of innocent civilians and risks stability in the region.
• Unconditional and Immediate Release of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia. Legal and democratic norms, not coercive force, must govern political outcomes.
• Respect for Territorial Integrity: and Sovereignty of the Venezuelans. The Venezuelan people must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights without the shadow of external coercion.
• Seriously review the nature and objectives of multilateral institutions like the United Nations to resolve institutional conflicts in the new global order.
• End all economic sanctions and blockades including foreign political interference in Venezuela. Oil and other natural resources of Venezuela must be managed by the Venezuelans.

Meanwhile, Democratic Reforms in Venezuelan political and economic governance should be constituted; corruption and abuse of power must end; public and natural wealth must be redistributed, not plundered; social and public services be improved; and the protection and fulfillment of the rights of the country’s workers and all democratic forces must be assured.

We call on the media to report with factual objectivity, and integrity, amplifying the voices of Venezuelans and democratic forces who yearn for peace rather than the narratives of geopolitical ambitions.

We join all labor unions, women movements, ecological activists, indigenous peoples, student & youth groups, faith communities, and citizens of conscience worldwide in a visual and vocal reminder: the international community will not stand by watching any imperialist aggression because we might be the next victims.

Our vision is a world where disputes are resolved through dialogue, where every nation is respected, and where the dignity of every individual is safeguarded and ecology is protected from the ravages of war and all forms of oppression and exploitation.

We call on all peoples, movements and nations worldwide to mobilize actively for Venezuela—with Latin America, and all nations under attack. Oppressed and exploited peoples and classes beyond borders must strengthen solidarity and together, resist and fight back for sovereignty, peace, justice and self-determination.

Stand for the Sovereignty of Venezuela! Stand for Peace and the Self-Determination of all Nations!
US OUT OF VENEZUELA and the CARIBBEAN NOW!
SHUT DOWN ALL OVERSEAS US MILITARY BASES NOW!

January 5, 2026

Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP)

Non-Moro Indigenous People’s Youth Network (NMIPYN)

Alliance of Tri-People for the Advancement of Human Rights (ALTAHR)

Mindanao Fisheries Network (Mindanao FishNet)

Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan (KILOSKA)

Lanao Fisherfolk Action Network (LFAN)

Kagkalimwa OFW Federation (Kagkalimwa)

Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan (KILOS KA) – Lanao

Task Force Bantay Kalikasan (TFBK)

Interfaith Movement for Peace (IMove Peace)

Alliance of Bangsa Sangil Federation (ABSF)

Sangil Youth Association

Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA)

Guild Of Advocates For Humanity’s Optimal Mending (GAHOM)

InternationalLaw #HandsOffVenezuela #Rightoselfdetermination #shutdownUSmilitarybases

Want to sign on? comment below.
help circulate!