A highway in Caracas is packed with cars.
But instead of typical rush hour traffic, Boyaca Avenue next to El Avila National Park in the Venezuelan capital has come to a standstill as masked men armed with Kalashnikovs stopped drivers and demanded searches of their phones and cars.
Gangs of militants, part of the pro-Maduro militia known as Colectivos, searched vehicles at hastily set up checkpoints after the government ordered a root out of Venezuelans supporting the U.S. overt capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Days after the sudden beheading of Maduro’s regime, Venezuelans are worried about what will happen next as a mob wearing civilian clothes and carrying assault rifles slung over their shoulders roams the streets.
“The future is uncertain, Colectivos have weapons and Colombian guerrillas are already in Venezuela, so we don’t know what will happen, time will tell,” Osvaldo, 69, a Venezuelan shop owner, told The Telegraph.
The emergency order issued on Monday is intended to clamp down on any public celebration of U.S. actions. It ordered police to “immediately begin a nationwide manhunt to capture and arrest all persons involved in promoting or supporting armed attacks by the United States.”
A gang of armed men roams the streets looking for Venezuelans who support the United States in capturing the deposed president and his wife – RONALD PENA R/EPA/Shutterstock
One Venezuelan, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she would no longer leave home with her phone out of fear it might be searched for anti-Maduro texts or photos, which could land her in jail.
Paramilitary forces had detained 14 journalists and media staff, 11 of them from foreign news outlets, for several hours before releasing some of them. The whereabouts of the other journalists remain unknown.
The presence of “Colectivos,” armed motorcycle-riding men used as an unofficial tactic of government repression, is a sign that Maduro loyalists are desperately trying to maintain control of the country.
Videos circulating on social media showed armed men declaring they would not allow Donald Trump and American “pigs” to come in and plunder the country’s natural resources.
Another video showed Maduro’s closest ally, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, posing with a group of armed militiamen who chanted: “Always loyal, never traitor.”
Mr. Cabello, who has a $50 million bounty on his head on drug-trafficking charges, largely controls the Colectivos.
Image Source: Social Media
As Mr Maduro pleads his innocence and claims he is a “prisoner of war” at his trial in Manhattan federal court, armed supporters say his heart and soul remains in Venezuela.
“There are enough people here, there are enough balls here to fight for this revolution, to fight for this homeland,” said a man who gave his name only as Freddy Rodriguez, a member of Cupaz, a network established by Maduro in 2019 to control the protests.
Mr Maduro and his wife Celia Flores were arraigned at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse in New York on Monday – JANE ROSENBERG/AFP
Most shops and businesses in Caracas had reopened on Monday morning, and long lines of panicked Venezuelans trying to buy food disappeared.
Police and intelligence agents lined the streets of central Caracas and two main streets were closed as Maduro Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in by her brother, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodrigue.
She raised her right hand and said: “I am saddened by the suffering of the Venezuelan people following the illegal military aggression against our homeland.”
“I am saddened by the kidnapping of two heroes.”
Her remarks differed in tone from Sunday, when she said she “invited the U.S. government to work together on a collaborative agenda” after Trump warned she would pay a “very big price” if she did not follow instructions.
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez is sworn in by her brother Jorge Rodriguez – Marcelo Garcia/Miraflores Press Office/AFP
In Caracas, Venezuelans initially welcomed Maduro’s arrest, hoping it would bring real change to the country, but they were frustrated by Ms Rodriguez’s rise to power and the continuation of Mr Maduro’s regime.
The country’s constitution requires that whenever the president is “permanently unable to hold office,” an election should be held within 30 days. However, the Supreme Court declared Mr Maduro’s absence “temporary”.
In this case, the Vice-President’s term shall be limited to a maximum of 90 days, which may be extended to six months by vote of the National Assembly.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, said the militia’s crackdown was “truly shocking” and that the country needed to transition to democracy.
“As you know, Delcy Rodriguez is one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption and drug trafficking,” Ms. Machado told Fox News. “She is a major ally and liaison to Russia, China, Iran, and is certainly not someone who can be trusted by international investors, and she has really been rejected by the Venezuelan people.”
There has been no discussion of holding democratic elections and the country’s future still hangs in the balance.
“I want a change in the government because these people are doing a lot of damage to the country; they forget that they are civil servants and they think they own the country,” said shopkeeper Osvaldo.
“But now we are in the same moment where he left and someone else took his place – Delcy Rodriguez, Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino Lopez – they are all still here.”
Pro-Maduro militia group Colectivos joins a march calling for the release of Nicolás Maduro and his wife – Gaby Oraa/Reuters
Aurora told the Telegraph in an interview while waiting for an interview in Altamira Plaza that she had hoped for regime change, but her main concern was how to solve the problem of food and clothing.
“Most international leaders don’t agree with what happened, but it happened.
“We saw it coming, everyone saw it coming, but no one thought it would happen like this, so violently. Some people want it, some people don’t want it, but no country in the world can interfere with the government and say the oil is mine, no, that’s a lie, it belongs to the Venezuelan people.”
While she dismissed suggestions that Trump would “run” Venezuela, Aurora, a paramedic from Petar, said: “We need change, this is necessary, now we need a transition.”
“Every birth brings pain and now we have to move on,” she added.
Members of Colectivos guard the entrance to the 23 de Enero neighborhood in Caracas after U.S. forces captured Maduro on Saturday – Pedro Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images
Others are less accepting of the situation.
“Honestly, I don’t think it should have happened; [Maduro] His country should be governed in his country,” said a 59-year-old sports coach who requested anonymity.
“My only hope for Venezuela is that things can be calm, we’ve been through so much… I know we’re not in a good place, but emotionally and physically we’re calmer.”
The idea that Trump has decided to decide the next steps for Venezuelans rather than hold a fair election worries many.
“I don’t agree with what Trump said, when he said he was going to run our country — I want a transition, I want an election,” Osvaldo said.
“If the majority supports Delsi, then fine, if it is a transparent election and we will peacefully recognize the result – if Chavismo wins, then fine, but if the opposition wins, they will have to admit their defeat.”
Journalists in Caracas contributed to this report but asked that their names be withheld for fear of reprisals from the regime.
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