South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs Bolaji Akinyemi, and a cross-section of scholars, on Tuesday, condemned the U.S. government under President Donald Trump over the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, describing the action as a violation of international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Maduro and his wife were captured by U.S. forces on January 3 and indicted on charges linking them to a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
When arraigned on Monday at a New York federal court, Maduro pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts, including narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
Ramaphosa made his position known on his official X account on Tuesday, stating that South Africa stood in solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
“We reject utterly the actions embarked upon by the United States and we stand with the people of Venezuela,” he said.
He stressed that South Africa’s response is guided by its commitment to international law and the United Nations Charter, noting that the U.S. action undermined Venezuela’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
“It is our commitment to international law and the United Nations Charter that informs our deep concern at the actions of the United States in Venezuela, which have undermined the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the UN member state called Venezuela,” Ramaphosa said.
The South African president also called for urgent intervention by the United Nations, urging the Security Council to act to preserve global peace and security.
“We reiterate our call for decisive action by the United Nations Security Council to fulfil its mandate and advance peace and security,” he added.
Similarly, Akinyemi, alongside other scholars of international relations and political science, slammed Trump over the “illegal” capture of Maduro during a roundtable organised by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, Akinyemi questioned the authority under which the U.S. President could enter another country and extract its leader.
“Maduro was not a good man; he was not a saint. In any case, the election in Venezuela was not free and fair – anyway, we have never had a free and fair election in our own country. However, the issue is the legality of the United States’ invasion of Venezuela. Nobody gave the United States the responsibility to go on extractive duties in another country. If you were to do so, even Trump himself should be a target,” he said.
Akinyemi noted that the U.S. President had enormous global influence, enabling him to evade accountability.
“But who goes after the most powerful man in the world and gets away with it?” he asked.
He urged countries to build their own military capabilities to defend sovereignty. “As countries, you have to build your own military capability to protect yourself,” he said.
Professor Jinadu Adele described the U.S. intervention as an example of arrogance of power, targeting countries that do not align with its ideology under the guise of promoting democracy.
Dr Rita Agu called the arrest illegal under international law. “There should be consent of the people of Venezuela seeking such intervention or a binding approval of an international body before such an intervention. The U.S. should compensate Venezuela for the invasion,” she said.
International relations expert Femi Ojumu said the U.S. abduction violated the UN Charter, particularly Article 2 on sovereign equality.
“These principles are recurring themes throughout the UN Charter of 1945 and remain the glue that holds international relations together… Article 51 on collective self-defence could not justify U.S. actions, questioning what exactly was being defended,” he said.
Ojumu warned that the U.S., by acting as abductor, detainer, prosecutor, judge, and jury, violated the principle of nemo judex in causa sua. He called for UN reforms to make Security Council membership and veto powers more representative.
Professor Femi Otubanjo described the U.S. approach as ideologically driven, motivated by Trump’s political relevance, arms sales, and access to Venezuelan crude oil. Journalist Kayode Komolafe echoed concerns over capitalist tendencies and U.S. targeting of Nigeria’s crude under similar pretenses.
Public policy analyst Magnus Onyibe lamented that the U.S. disregard for UN rules signals the imminent decline of the organisation: “The U.S. can’t be checked,” he said.
Former Director of Political Affairs at ECOWAS, Prof Remi Ajibewa, and ex-Permanent Secretary in Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Joe Keshi, warned that excessive reliance on the U.S. empowers it to flout international law. Keshi said, “As a result, they feel emboldened to violate rules,” urging countries to develop capacity, enforce domestic laws, and prioritise citizens’ welfare.
Source: Punch