South Africa condemns US aggression against Venezuela at UN meeting
New York, US (PANA) – South Africa’s International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola says the US invasion of Venezuela undermined international law and the principles of state sovereignty enshrined in the UN Charter.
Jonathan Passmoor, South Africa’s acting deputy permanent representative to the United Nations said “the unlawful, unilateral actions” of the US undermined the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations.
In its statement to the UN Security Council on Monday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Co-operation said no nation can claim to be legally or morally superior to another.
“We are all nations born out of different histories and contexts ascribing to the common values and principles enshrined in the Charter of the UN. Chief amongst these principles is the sovereign equality of all its members. By signing the charter, we have all committed to settle our international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace, security and justice, are not endangered. We have also committed to refrain, in our foreign relations, from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations. The International Court of Justice has also previously affirmed that international law prohibits the use of force and non-intervention in another State’s affairs,” it said.
The UN Security Council met on Monday against a sharply altered diplomatic backdrop, following US strikes on the Venezuelan capital and seizure of President Nicolás Maduro.
Council members are split over whether Washington’s move upholds accountability – or undermines a foundational principle of international order.
Some delegations argue the action was exceptional and justified; others warn it risks normalising unilateral force and eroding state sovereignty.
Setting the tone, the UN Secretary-General cautioned that international peace and security rest on all Member States adhering to the UN Charter – language that framed a debate likely to expose deep and lasting divisions inside the chamber in New York – all as the Venezuelan leader appeared in a downtown federal courtroom just a few miles away.
The United States rejected characterisations of its actions as military aggression, describing the operation as a targeted law enforcement measure facilitated by the military to arrest an indicted fugitive.
Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada described his country as the target of an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification, accusing the US of bombing Venezuelan territory, the loss of civilian and military lives, and the “kidnapping” of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
“We cannot ignore a central element of this US aggression,” he said. “Venezuela is the victim of these attacks because of its natural resources.”
Several Council members and others invited to take part expressed deep concern over the US military action, grounding their positions firmly in the UN Charter.
Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Panama, underscored their region’s long-standing declaration as a zone of peace and warned that unilateral military action risked destabilising the Western hemisphere and aggravating displacement flows.
Russia and China delivered some of the strongest criticism, characterising the US action as armed aggression and warning against the normalisation of unilateral force.
This position was echoed by countries beyond the Americas – including South Africa, Pakistan, Iran and Uganda – which warned the selective application of international law risks undermining the entire collective security system.
Representatives of Moscow and Beijing called for the immediate release of President Maduro and stressed the inviolability of head-of-State immunity under international law, framing the situation as a test of whether Charter principles apply equally to all States.
A smaller group of countries from the region took a different view, UN News reported.
Argentina praised the US operation as a decisive step against narcotics trafficking and terrorism, arguing that the operation and Mr. Maduro’s removal could open a path toward restoring democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Venezuela.
Paraguay also welcomed Mr. Maduro’s removal, calling for the immediate restoration of democratic institutions and the release of political prisoners, while urging that the transition proceed through democratic means.
-0- PANA CU/MA 6Jan2026
