Civil servants, housewives and retirees alike lined up in Venezuela’s capital Caracas on Saturday as thousands volunteered to join the country’s militia in case there is a US invasion.
President Nicolas Maduro called on citizens to respond to the current US “threat” and sign up over the weekend to the Bolivarian Militia, a civilian corps linked to the South American country’s armed forces.
The show of force is also intended to send a message to Washington, which has issued a $50 million bounty for Maduro — who is accused by the Trump administration of leading a drug cartel — and has stationed three warships off Venezuela’s coast for what the US says are anti-drug operations.
Militia registration centers were set up in the capital’s squares, military and public buildings and even in the presidential palace Miraflores.
Volunteers could also sign up in the Mountain Barracks, which is home to the mausoleum of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, in a densely populated area with large housing projects and crumbling brick houses.
“Have you previously served?” a militia member dressed in camouflage asked Oscar Matheus.
“I’m here to serve our country,” the 66-year-old auditor told AFP. “We don’t know what might happen, but we must prepare and keep resisting.
“The homeland is calling us. Our country needs us,” said 51-year-old Rosy Paravabith.
Dubbed the Bolivarian Army by Chavez, the Venezuelan Armed Forces do not hide the militia’s political bent.
“Chavez lives!” is now their official greeting.
Former Venezuelan socialist president Chavez came to power in 1999 and died in office in 2013. Maduro has been in power since, though the US does not recognize the validity of his last two elections.
is unclear how many troops are in the Venezuelan militia.
Maduro said this week that the militia alone has more than 4.5 million ready soldiers.
However the most recent independent estimate tallied about 343,000 members in 2020, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
“I sign up for Venezuela, long live the homeland!” shouted the volunteers upon registration.
Police officers and military reservists also lined up to reaffirm their commitments.