ECOWAS condemns US invasion of Venezuela
In a statement from its Abuja headquarters on Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States said it was “deeply concerned” by the operation, which saw US forces enter Caracas and detain Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS has issued a rare warning on events far beyond its borders, urging the international community to respect Venezuela’s sovereignty after a US military raid led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement from its Abuja headquarters on Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States said it was “deeply concerned” by the operation, which saw US forces enter Caracas and detain Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
While acknowledging global efforts to combat organised crime, ECOWAS said unilateral military action set a worrying precedent.
“ECOWAS wishes to remind the international community about their obligation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other as enshrined in international law, especially Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter,” the communiqué said.
The bloc expressed solidarity with Venezuelans and backed their “right to shape the future of their country through an inclusive process”, rather than through decisions imposed by foreign military power.
Details of the Saturday operation are still emerging, but Venezuelan officials say the human toll is mounting.
The New York Times, citing senior government sources, reported that at least 80 people were killed, a figure expected to rise as rescue teams search the ruins of the presidential compound and surrounding security installations.
Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said a “large part” of the president’s elite guard had been wiped out during the raid, which he described as a surprise, high-intensity assault involving advanced air power.
In Washington, President Donald Trump confirmed that Mr Maduro and Ms Flores had been removed from Venezuela and are now in US custody.
He said the US was prepared to “assert American control over the country for the time being, with US troops if necessary,” signalling a willingness to maintain a direct role on the ground.
The couple were flown to New York under heavy security and are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. US prosecutors are expected to bring a sweeping indictment, including:
International drug trafficking – alleging Venezuelan state resources were used to move cocaine;
Terrorism-related cooperation – alleged links with designated transnational criminal networks.
Officials in Caracas have denounced the operation as a “kidnapping” and demanded the immediate release of the pair.
Mr Maduro has consistently rejected US accusations as fabricated and politically motivated, insisting they form part of an “imperialist regime-change agenda”.
By entering the debate, ECOWAS – usually focused on coups and insecurity within West Africa – has signalled wider unease among regional blocs about what they see as the erosion of long-standing international norms.
Diplomats say the statement reflects growing anxiety that the so-called “rules-based order” is increasingly being overshadowed by raw power politics, with military action deployed well beyond national borders to settle political disputes.
