Venezuelan leader replaces senior military commanders

Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has replaced her country’s senior military commanders one day after appointing a new defence minister.

Announcing the move on Thursday, Rodríguez said the new appointments would guarantee Venezuela’s “sovereignty, peace, stability and territorial integrity”.

The shake-up to Caracas’ top defence team follows US President Donald Trump’s Venezuela raid and capture of President Nicolás Maduro in early January.

Since then Rodríguez has distanced herself from her predecessor’s rule and has closely cooperated with Washington, with the two countries restoring diplomatic relations at the start of March.

Among the new military appointments, Rodríguez said Dilio Alejandro Agüero Montes would be the new navy commander, Royman Antonio Hernández Briceño the new air force commander, and Rubén Darío Belzares Escobar the new army commander.

On Wednesday, Rodríguez unveiled a cabinet reshuffle to her interim government, which included sacking Maduro-ally Vladimir Padrino López as defence minister.

In a post on Telegram, Rodríguez announced Gustavo González López as the new defence minister, as she thanked Padrino for his service and “loyalty to the country”.

Human rights watchdog Provea called the new appointment a “recycling of impunity”.

Padrino had been in office as defence minister for 12 years and was one of Maduro’s staunch supporters.

Reacting to the news that he had been replaced, he said it had been “the highest honour of my life to serve my country as a soldier and to protect peace and national unity during all these years”.

He went on to offer his congratulations to González López on the new appointment, recalling how the pair have known each other since their early career days and he was certain the armed forces would “emerge stronger” under his peer’s leadership.

Credit: BBC