African nations are voicing alarm after the US military operation that seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, a move many say violates international law and destabilizes global norms. Is Donald Trump setting a dangerous precedent?
00:00US troops invaded Venezuela on January the 3rd, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas
00:05Maduro and his wife in a COVID operation that Caracas, many UN members and legal experts
00:10say blatantly violated international law.
00:30Is Trump paving the way for a new era of imperialism? And what does it mean for African countries?
00:47It's a kind of imperialist belegrams that threaten not only Venezuela, not only the people of Latin America, but we've actually seen it also here.
00:56When we have leaders, powerful leaders who can do as they please in the world, that goes to show that you are in trouble, you know.
01:02It's very unfortunate that no one is going to hold America accountable for what they have done.
01:08Welcome to the flip side. Maduro's arrest by US special forces caused outrage across Africa.
01:15The African Union and ECOWAS have both condemned the use of force, urging dialogue to resolve Venezuela's internal challenges.
01:22South Africa described the US action as a dangerous president that destabilizes the international order.
01:28We reject utterly the actions that the United States has embarked upon and stand with the people of Venezuela.
01:39And we demand the release of President Maduro and his wife as well.
01:45But regardless of political alignment, one point resonates across the continent. The operation was not legal.
01:53You know, this is how these superpowers behave in quotes, how they just go against the international law for their own interest. And that is quite unfortunate.
02:04Currently, the Horn of Africa is facing a looming conflict if cool heads don't prevail. Fears are rising over a potential confrontation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
02:14Ethiopia is renewing demands for direct maritime access, calling it an existential matter.
02:20The Ethiopian army has gone so far as to publish a map that includes Port Acerb in Eritrea as part of Ethiopia, triggering a furious backlash from Asmara.
02:30This threat raises a larger question. What risks do countries face if they increasingly act outside UN frameworks?
02:36Well, the risk is really a destabilization for a lot of these countries considered as smaller countries and the risk of growing influence and interference by either their larger neighbors or by global powers.
02:52So this would mean potentially a further erosion of their sovereignty.
02:57Ugandan President Yoveri Museveni has described the U.S.-Venezuela situation as a wake-up call for Africa to strengthen its collective security and strategic autonomy.
03:07If the U.S. don't come together, I think the African will be a stage of fighting for resources from the Chinese, from Russians and from the Americans.
03:19As all eyes are on the U.S. and what Trump will do next, what lessons can Africa and the world take moving forward?
03:26We may have a lot of segregations or maybe different groups coming out of the UN and that might affect the world peace and the world cohesion.
03:38And I believe that the superpowers need to be talked to in one way or the other in a way that they can come back to their selfish interests and think about the world at large.
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