Venezuela: What just happened?
US forces have taken the country鈥檚 leader, Nicholas Maduro, into custody
Venezuela鈥檚 leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are in custody in the US after President Trump has launched a series of strikes on Venezuela. It was all part of 鈥極peration Absolute Resolve鈥 - a mission the Trump administration had secretly been planning for months.
Both Maduro and his wife have been charged with a list of drugs and weapons offences and are due to appear in court in New York later on Monday. President Trump has said the US will run Venezuela until he can organise a 鈥渟afe, proper and judicious鈥 transition of power. But how will this work?
In this episode, we explain why the US went ahead with the attack, whether it is legal, and what the future could hold for people living in Venezuela after the operation.
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Presenter: Iqra Farooq
Producers: Emily Horler and Chelsea Coates
Editor: Verity Wilde
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- Mon 5 Jan 2026 18:50GMT麻豆社 World Service News Internet
- Tue 6 Jan 2026 03:50GMT麻豆社 World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
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What in the World
Helping you make sense of what鈥檚 happening in your world.