UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on U.S. operation in Venezuela

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in Venezuela following a U.S. military operation that forcibly seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transferred them out of the country. The session was requested by Colombia after the January 3 operation, which involved large-scale strikes in Caracas and their transfer to New York.

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed the Council on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres. In her remarks, Guterres warned of a “possible intensification of instability in the country, its potential regional impact, and the precedent it could set for relations between states.”

He said international law had not been respected and stressed that the UN Charter prohibits the use of force against state sovereignty. Guterres added that a broader escalation could still be avoided and urged restraint.

“I call on all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive, democratic dialogue in which all sectors of society can determine their future,” he said, also urging Venezuela’s neighbours and the wider international community to act in solidarity and in line with the principles of peaceful coexistence.

Guterres said he stands ready to support all efforts to help Venezuelans find a peaceful way forward.