Venezuela expels 33 soldiers from the army in the latest campaign against traitors

Officials in Venezuela announced Wednesday that 33 soldiers described as “traitors” were expelled from the army for their involvement in alleged plots to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.

A government statement listed the names of the expelled soldiers accused of treason, including a general.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said that the 33 military personnel were involved in plots to plan criminal and terrorist acts, and even contemplate the assassination of the national president.

He added in a video posted online that these crimes represent “acts of treason against our ancestral land”.

The Venezuelan army is one of Maduro’s main supporters, and has confirmed its loyalty to him at several points.

In addition to its military duties, the army controls oil, mining, and food companies, in addition to the customs agency and many major ministries.

The opposition and NGOs accuse the army of participating in corruption through deep-rooted networks that have influenced many of its officers.

Prosecutor General Tariq William Saab, loyal to Maduro, announced on Monday the arrest of another group of 32 civilians and soldiers after a months-long investigation for their role in the same plot allegedly supported by the United States to assassinate Maduro.

More arrests were announced Tuesday, although no specific number was provided.

Maduro, who has not yet confirmed whether he is seeking to run for a new presidential term in the elections scheduled for this year, often denounces plots behind the United States, the opposition, and drug traffickers that aim to overthrow him.

Nicolas Maduro was elected for a second term in 2018 in elections that weren’t recognized by dozens of countries, and even led to some of them imposing sanctions on Caracas.

But since the government and opposition in Barbados agreed last year to hold free and fair elections in 2024 with observers present, these sanctions have been significantly eased.

The US State Department on Tuesday expressed its deep concern about the arrests that took place without following legal procedures, considering that this contradicts the spirit of the electoral agreement between the Maduro government and the opposition.

Caracas rejected these criticisms and accused Washington in a statement of defending the architects of failed terrorist operations in Venezuela.