–President Ali says amid regional developments,
— U.S. military operation leads to capture Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife; both to stand trial this week on multiple criminal charges

GUYANA’S top priority continues to be the safety and security of the nation and its citizens, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and President Dr. Irfaan Ali said on Saturday as he disclosed that the regional developments are being monitored following the major military operation executed by the United States of America (USA) to capture Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The Foreign Secretary of Guyana, Robert Persaud corresponded President Ali’s statement via the social media platform, X.
Here is the post in full: “President Irfaan Ali: ‘We have been monitoring the situation #Venezuela all morning. The priority is the safety and security of our Country. The Defence Board, the leadership of the GDF and our security forces are fully mobilised in accordance with our security plans. We have spoken to the SG (Secretary General) of CARICOM and as more information becomes available, we will further update the population.”
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, President Ali said the Government of Guyana continues to closely monitor developments and underscored that stability, respect for the rule of law and a democratic transition are critical to the future of Venezuela and the wider Americas.

President Ali reaffirmed Guyana’s support for efforts that uphold democratic norms and preserve the region as a Zone of Peace, while welcoming the leadership of the United States in reaffirming shared commitments to freedom, democracy and regional security.
He added that Guyana looks forward to constructive engagement in Venezuela’s next chapter in the interest of all Venezuelans.
The heightened alert followed the capture of Venezuelan President, Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores, who were flown out of the country in a military operation in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement.
The Maduro regime, over the past few months, has been accused of operating a “narco-state” and committing a number of infractions, including drug-trafficking and illegitimacy in power.
According to a sealed superseding indictment, Maduro will face sweeping criminal charges on U.S. soil.
Maduro, who was elected in 2013 and served as Hugo Chavez’s vice president, has been indicted on several charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S.
President Trump, along with several senior U.S. officials, held a press conference to give further details on the operation.
He described the military operation as a display of “overwhelming military power” and a “spectacular assault,” branding it as “one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.”
The U.S. military maintained “total element of surprise,” having dismantled and disabled Venezuelan air defence systems, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine had told reporters.
The military operation involved more than 150 aircraft taking off from 20 bases around the Western Hemisphere, including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, and B-1 bombers, the top U.S. General said.
He then disclosed that Maduro and his wife “gave up,” and were subsequently taken into custody by the Department of Justice and at 03:29 ET, they boarded the USS Iwo Jima.
Reuters had reported that while the operation came as a surprise, sources familiar with the matter, said that the planning had been in the works for months and included detailed rehearsals.
Two other sources told Reuters the intelligence agency also had an asset close to Maduro who would monitor his movements and was poised to pinpoint his exact location as the operation unfolded.
With the plan assembled, President Trump four days ago approved the operation, but military and intelligence planners suggested he wait for better weather and less cloud cover, Reuters reported.
In the early hours of Saturday, the mission – which would be known as Operation Absolute Resolve – to capture Maduro started.
President Trump, surrounded by his advisers at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, watched a live stream of the operation, which he said “literally like I was watching a television show.”

U.S. WILL ‘RUN’ VENEZUELA
President Trump told reporters that the U.S. is going to “run” Venezuela until “such a time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition” of power.
He claimed that Venezuelans will not “suffer” any more under Maduro, who he said is an “illegitimate dictator” who is responsible for the trafficking of “colossal amounts of deadly illicit drugs” into the U.S.
Further, President Trump said that his military is not afraid of keeping boots on the ground, asserting, “We’re going to make sure that country is run properly.”

For years, the Venezuelan economy has endured hardships, including political instability, but President Trump has promised that the U.S. will do whatever is needed to “make Venezuela great again”, including rebuilding outdated infrastructure.
“Venezuelan people are free again,” President Trump said, while adding that following the operation, the U.S. is also a “safer” nation today.
A delegated team will be assigned shortly to execute the U.S. plan to “run” Venezuela and when questioned by a reporter who will run the South American nation, President Trump signalled, with his hand, himself and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating that for a period of time, it will largely be those senior officials that were present behind him at press conference.
A U.S. occupation “won’t cost us a penny,” President Trump said, noting that the U.S. would be reimbursed from the “money coming out of the ground.”
The Secretary of State supported President Trump’s statements and agreed that Maduro was not the legitimate president of Venezuela, noting that even the Joe Biden administration had said the same.
Rubio stated that Maduro had “multiple opportunities” to prevent such an escalation, but instead he chose to “act like a wild man” and “play around.”
The Secretary of State pointed to the previous actions by Maduro and said he thought nothing would have happened, but Rubio made it clear that President Trump is “not a game player” and acts on his pledges.
The U.S. President also told reporters that Rubio was in touch with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and he quoted her as saying: “’We’ll do whatever you need.”
President Trump stated, “She really doesn’t have a choice.”
Late Saturday afternoon, a plane carrying captured Maduro and his wife, arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York.
Reuters has reported that Maduro is expected to make an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday, according to a Justice Department official.