The Assembly of Caribbean People (ACP) has strongly condemned the United States’ recent actions in Venezuela, declaring them a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and urging the global body to intervene.
The condemnation came during a virtual regional press conference hosted by the ACP’s Regional Executive Committee on Tuesday. Regional executive member David Abdulah read from an open letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock, titled The United States Is Tearing Up the Charter of the United Nations – It Must Be Stopped.
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According to the letter, on Saturday, January 3, 2026, United States armed forces, acting on directives from President Donald Trump, launched a military operation inside Venezuela.
“Members of the armed forces of the US invaded the sovereign state of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Abdulah said. “The US military bombed several locations, targeting both civilian and military installations, disabled Venezuelan communication systems used for defense, and cut electrical power to certain areas.”
He further stated that US troops landed in Caracas and forcibly seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores during what he described as a violent assault on their residence.
“The US military killed approximately 40 Venezuelan security personnel and 32 Cuban security officers assigned to protect the president. Several civilians were also killed, and numerous homes were damaged or destroyed during the bombardment,” Abdulah said.
He added that Maduro and his wife were subsequently transported to the United States and detained in a Brooklyn jail.
Abdulah declared the actions a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
“All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” he quoted.
He accused President Trump of further escalating tensions by publicly announcing that the United States would now “run Venezuela” and threatening the country’s constitutionally installed interim president with severe consequences if she failed to comply with Washington’s demands.
“The US has shown complete disregard for the UN Charter,” Abdulah said. “These threats undermine the sovereignty and independence of Venezuela and set a dangerous global precedent.”
As a result, the ACP is calling on the United Nations to use its authority to compel the United States to reverse its actions. Failure to do so, Abdulah warned, could undermine the credibility and very existence of the UN.
“The issue before you is simple,” he said. “What will you do to prevent the destruction of the United Nations? If the charter can be brazenly violated by a powerful state without consequence, then the UN loses its purpose.”
Abdulah listed several other actions by the US administration that he claimed further erode international law, including threats against Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Greenland, Nigeria, Honduras, and Brazil, as well as the imposition of unilateral tariffs and political interference in sovereign states.
He also criticised President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from 66 international organisations, more than 30 of which are UN agencies, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“This reckless decision places the future of global cooperation in jeopardy,” Abdulah said.
He warned that the world is now facing a return to “the law of the jungle,” where military power dictates global order.
“Might is right, gunboat diplomacy will rule, and life will become poorer, nastier, more brutish, and shorter for the majority of humanity, while a small billionaire elite accumulates unimaginable wealth,” Abdulah said.
The ACP stressed that the international community must act decisively to uphold the principles of the UN Charter and prevent the erosion of global governance structures.
