Caracas, Venezuela, January 7 (ANI): Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, on Tuesday announced seven days of national mourning following deaths reported during a recent US attack in Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, CNN reported.
Speaking to the state broadcaster, Rodriguez said the mourning period was being declared to honor those who lost their lives during the operation. “I have made the decision to decree seven days of mourning in honor and glory to the young men and women who died, who gave their lives defending Venezuela, defending President Nicolas Maduro,” she said, according to CNN.
Rodriguez also called for the return of Maduro and Flores, who are currently in US custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. The couple pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges related to drugs and weapons.
“There is no war here because we are not at war. We are a people, a country of peace, that was aggressed and attacked,” Rodriguez said.
Earlier, she rejected claims that any foreign power was running Venezuela, saying the country’s government remained fully in charge after US President Donald Trump said he needed full access to Venezuela. “The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no one else. There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela,” Rodriguez said.
The Venezuelan government has not released an official death toll from the US operation. However, the country’s attorney general said three officials have been appointed to investigate what he described as the “dozens” of deaths.
On Sunday, the Cuban government said 32 Cuban nationals were killed during the US action, CNN reported. Rodriguez, who was sworn in on Monday as the temporary replacement for ousted president Nicolas Maduro, said Venezuela’s sovereignty remained intact despite foreign pressure.
“There is no external agent governing Venezuela,” she said in a televised address.
Her comments came as Trump announced on Tuesday that Venezuela’s interim authorities would transfer between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States. Trump said the oil would be sold at market price, with the proceeds controlled by him to ensure they benefit both countries.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute the plan immediately and that the oil would be transported by storage ships and delivered directly to unloading docks in the United States.
Rodriguez’s statement came amid growing pressure from the Trump administration, which has demanded cooperation from Caracas, including access to Venezuela’s oil resources.
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