By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Thousands of Venezuelan citizens on Saturday responded to President Nicolás Maduro’s call to join the Bolivarian Militia, a group made up of civilians training to defend the nation’s sovereignty.
This comes amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States. Maduro urged reservists, militia members, and young Venezuelans to head to the barracks for basic weapons training.
The President says learning to shoot is a necessary step to bolster the country’s response capabilities against foreign threats.
The training kicked off at 312 barracks around the country
The call comes same time with the US deployment of a US naval fleet in the Caribbean, which Washington justifies as part of its fight against drug trafficking.
However, Maduro claims this operation poses a risk to Venezuela’s independence.
The government maintains that the defence of Venezuela does not rely solely on the regular armed forces, but also on a people ready to take up arms in defence of the homeland.
Bolivarian Militia is seen as a bridge between civilians and the military. Analysts say beyond the training on weapon handling, the call by President Maduro has a strong political component.
They believe that citizens participation in the barracks is a show of resistance and national unity against international pressure, such as from the United States.
