South Africa has condemned what it described as unlawful unilateral military action by the United States against Venezuela, urging the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session to address the situation.
In a media statement issued on Saturday 3 January 2026, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the South African government viewed recent developments in Venezuela with “grave concern”.
The statement noted that the US had confirmed it carried out “a large-scale military strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicholas Maduro, who has been captured along with his wife and flown out of the country”.
South Africa said the action amounted to a clear breach of international law, stressing that it violated the principles of the UN Charter.
“South Africa views these actions as a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations, which mandates that all Member States refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” the statement said.
It added that the Charter “does not authorise external military intervention in matters that are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign nation”.
Warning of broader global consequences, the government said past experience showed that military invasions rarely deliver stability.
“History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and deepening crisis,” the statement said, adding that “unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations”.
South Africa called on the UN Security Council to act swiftly, saying it is “the body mandated to maintain international peace and security” and should “urgently convene to address this situation”.
The statement was issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and signed by ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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