UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 6, 2026 — South Africa, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government, has condemned the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a violation of international law and the UN Charter, urging the UN Security Council to assert its mandate and steer the crisis back toward multilateral resolution.
In a statement delivered to a Security Council meeting on Venezuela, South Africa said the U.S. military strikes and the “abduction” of Maduro and his spouse from Venezuelan territory “wantonly violates” Venezuela’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence, and undermines diplomacy by reinforcing the idea that “might is right.”
Pretoria stressed that allegations concerning governance failures, human rights abuses or criminal conduct by a head of state cannot justify breaching the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force, pointing specifically to Article 2(4). South Africa argued that any response should be pursued through lawful international mechanisms, including seeking action from the Security Council or recourse at the International Court of Justice.
The South African intervention echoes a wider warning now circulating at the UN: that the episode could set a precedent encouraging unilateral military interventions against sovereign states. The UN Human Rights Office also criticised the U.S. action, saying the use of force against a state’s territorial integrity or political independence violates a core principle of international law and risks making the world less safe.
International reaction remains sharply split. China condemned the use of force against a sovereign country and against its president, accusing Washington of overreach and warning against powerful states acting as judge and enforcer beyond international legal processes. Russia likewise denounced the operation as armed aggression and called for de-escalation through dialogue.
But a number of governments and leaders have voiced support for U.S. actions or for a rapid political transition in Caracas, with reactions across Latin America and Europe ranging from condemnation to qualified endorsement. Reuters reported that Israel’s prime minister applauded the move, while several countries insisted any transition must still respect international law and avoid regional destabilisation.
South Africa’s position, officials said, is rooted in defending the UN system itself. The government warned that failure to respond decisively to perceived Charter violations risks normalising force as the default tool of international politics — a trend it said could erode protections for both large and small states
