Lamola hopes UN Security Council meeting will yield progressive decisions after US action in Venezuela

Mapaballo Borotho

Ronald Lamola says South Africa hopes an emergency UN Security Council meeting will lead to decisive action following the US invasion of Venezuela.
The capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife has been widely condemned, with South Africa calling it a violation of the UN Charter.
Maduro and Cilia Flores are expected to appear in a federal court in New York on Monday.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola says he hopes an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council will result in progressive decisions.

This comes after the United States of America invaded Venezuela and captured the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday.

Trump’s decision has been condemned by a number of countries, including South Africa and Russia, with most political parties in South Africa describing his actions as criminal and ruthless.

Following the capture of Maduro and his wife, the South African government called for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting, urging the council to convene immediately to address the unfolding situation.

“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. Furthermore, the Charter does not authorise external military intervention in matters that are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign nation,” said Lamola.

“History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and deepening crisis.”

Lamola emphasised that unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations.

Maduro and his wife are expected to appear in a federal court in Manhattan, New York, on Monday.