‘More questions than answers’: Maltese aid worker reacts to Maduro seizure

A Maltese humanitarian worker who spent two years in Venezuela has expressed her shock at the abduction of the country’s president by US forces.

Alba Cauchi spent 2023 and 2024 in Venezuela, during which time she developed a deep respect and bond with the people she met and worked with.

“While it has been clear since the July 2024 elections that people wanted and called for change, I think that the events that transpired are quite shocking and leave more questions than answers,” Cauchi told Times of Malta.

Nicolas Maduro is set to be charged in New York with drug trafficking after US forces abducted him and his wife from Venezuela during a lighting raid on Saturday.

Cauchi said, in the aid sector, Venezuela is known for its complex crises, having produced the highest number of people forced to leave their homes for reasons other than war.

She says it is important to point out that the complex relationship the US has with Venezuela not only affects the political class but also its people.

Sanctions imposed over 10 years ago target not only the ruling elite but have also contributed to the erosion of the country’s economic fabric, making the everyday lives of families incredibly difficult, Cauchi says.

“I visited many places in which people have suffered greatly, particularly in remote territories and communities, and have been in awe and admiration of the Venezuelan people’s resilience. That being said, they deserve better than having such little control over their future, particularly considering all that they’ve already gone through.”

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the US will “run” Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves after snatching Maduro out of the country during a bombing raid on Caracas.

Cauchi questions whether the proposed governance arrangement in the wake of the US action will ensure respect for people’s rights or deliver much- needed basic services such as running water and regular electricity, or stable supply chains, for those that need it the most.

“In addition, while Venezuela once had a strong middle class, it has been deeply impacted by years of sociopolitical and economic crisis, constantly grappling with weakening purchasing power due to fluctuations in their currency.

“Will this situation stabilise the constant price changes? Will it make people’s lives better or worse? This is to be seen.”

Cauchi, who will be watching developments in Venezuela closely, says Venezuelans want to be able to live their lives freely and enjoy some form of stability. This too applies to many of the seven million who have fled the country and would like the chance to go back home and rebuild their future.

She says time will tell whether this will materialise.

“I think the current unfolding of events cannot answer these questions yet; tension is palpable and the future is no more certain than it was the day before yesterday.”