The Government of Ghana has condemned the United States’ military strikes on Venezuela and the subsequent capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, demanding their immediate release.
In a press release issued on Sunday, January 4, 2026, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana expressed alarm over the “unilateral and unauthorised” actions by the US, which occurred in the early hours of January 3, 2026.
The statement described the operation – involving airstrikes on military targets in Caracas and other areas, followed by the extraction of Maduro and Flores to New York to face drug-related charges, as a violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and Venezuela’s sovereignty.
“The Ghanaian Government is keenly following the situation in Venezuela with great concern, and notes that such assaults on international law, attempts at the occupation of foreign territories and apparent external control of oil resources have extremely adverse implications on international stability and the global order,” the release stated.
Ghana highlighted statements attributed to US President Donald Trump, in which he announced that the US would “run” Venezuela temporarily and involve American oil companies in its energy sector. The ministry called these declarations “reminiscent of the colonial and imperialist era,” warning that they set a “dangerous precedent” for the global order.
“Such colonial ambitions should have no place in the post-Second World War era,” the statement read, adding that allowing such actions would “put the international community at great risk and undermine the sovereignty of every country.”
Reaffirming its commitment to the principle of self-determination, Ghana insisted that “only the Venezuelan people should freely determine their political and democratic future.”
The government called for “immediate de-escalation and the release of President Maduro and his wife,” while pledging to uphold its longstanding opposition to invasion, occupation, colonialism, and violations of international law.
The US operation, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” involved airstrikes on Venezuelan military installations and a special forces raid that captured Maduro and Flores, who were then transported to the US. President Trump has defended the action as targeting alleged narco-terrorism, with Maduro facing longstanding US indictments.