South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken a leading role among African governments condemning a US military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to a report by Guardian Nigeria. US forces detained the pair in Caracas in early January before transferring them to New York, where they appeared before a federal court on charges US authorities tied to drug trafficking and alleged links to criminal organizations.
Speaking publicly in South Africa, Ramaphosa said his government rejected the US action outright. "We reject utterly the actions embarked upon by the United States and we stand with the people of Venezuela," he said, calling for Maduro's immediate release and urging the international community, particularly the United Nations, to enforce the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference set out in the UN Charter.
Beyond South Africa, several other African governments and regional bodies have raised similar concerns, framing the operation as a troubling precedent for the use of unilateral force against a sitting head of state regardless of the underlying allegations against him. The episode has added friction to already strained relations between Pretoria and Washington.