Caribbean tensions rise after blasts rock Caracas
Regional tensions in the Caribbean intensified early on Saturday after at least seven explosions were heard in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, amid strained relations between the government of President Nicolás Maduro and the United States.
The blasts were reported at around 2 a.m., jolting residents awake across parts of the city. Responsibility for the explosions was not immediately clear. The Associated Press said neither the Venezuelan nor the US government had responded to requests for comment.
A short video circulating online appeared to show columns of thick black smoke rising from several locations. Orange flames were still visible at the time the footage was recorded, suggesting ongoing fires at the blast sites.
Audio in the clip captured residents shouting and wailing as the loud detonations echoed through the city. Local reports also indicated temporary power disruptions in some areas following the explosions.
The incident comes against the backdrop of escalating friction between Washington and Caracas.
Less than a week earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the CIA had carried out a drone strike on a “dock area” allegedly linked to Venezuelan drug trafficking operations. Colombian President Gustavo Petro later said the target was a cocaine-processing facility in the Venezuelan port city of Maracaibo.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of presiding over what it describes as a “narco-terrorist” state, claims the Venezuelan government strongly rejects.
Saturday’s blasts also follow recent remarks by Maduro signalling a willingness to engage in dialogue with Washington. “We must begin to speak seriously, with the facts in hand,” he said in an interview with the Mexican newspaper La Jornada.
These explosions occurred just hours after Maduro met Chinese envoy Qiu Xiaoqi in Caracas to review more than 600 bilateral agreements and discuss political cooperation, underscoring Venezuela’s deepening ties with Beijing at a time when both countries face increasing pressure from the United States.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
