{"id":41193,"date":"2026-01-10T08:17:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T08:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/?p=41193"},"modified":"2026-01-10T10:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T10:39:47","slug":"theyll-have-to-kill-us-first-venezuelan-colectivos-pledge-resistance-after-us-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/10\/theyll-have-to-kill-us-first-venezuelan-colectivos-pledge-resistance-after-us-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"They\u2019ll Have to Kill Us First\u201d: Venezuelan Colectivos Pledge Resistance After US Strike"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As explosions echoed through the night and U.S. warplanes tore across the skies above Caracas, Jorge Suarez and his fellow members of the \u201ccolectivos\u201d scrambled anxiously for their weapons.<\/p>

For these armed supporters of Venezuela\u2019s leftist government, the sudden U.S. operation that removed Nicol\u00e1s Maduro from power represented their most intense challenge yet.<\/p>

\u201cThis isn\u2019t something we\u2019re accustomed to\u2014it felt like a blockbuster, like a scene straight out of a movie,\u201d Suarez said, wearing dark sunglasses and a cap that read \u201cDoubt is treason.\u201d \u201cWe hit the streets, waiting for orders from our leaders.\u201d<\/p>

Devoted defenders of the socialist \u201cBolivarian revolution,\u201d the colectivos were left angry and confused by Maduro\u2019s ousting, believing he had been betrayed by those closest to him.<\/p>

\u201cThere\u2019s frustration, anger, and a determination to fight,\u201d said Willians, 43, a member of the Boina Roja (Red Beret) collective, dressed in a black cap and hoodie.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s still unclear exactly what happened\u2026 But one thing is certain: there were many betrayals,\u201d he added, referring to the unexpected failures in Maduro\u2019s defense systems.<\/p>

\u201cWe don\u2019t understand how the anti-aircraft defenses failed. We don\u2019t know what happened with the rocket launchers.\u201d<\/p>

Maintaining Order<\/strong><\/h5>

Originating under Hugo Ch\u00e1vez and solidified under Maduro, the colectivos are responsible for maintaining social order in the streets, though critics accuse them of harassment and intimidation.<\/p>

After Maduro\u2019s removal, they have rallied around Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, his former deputy, now interim president.<\/p>

Rodr\u00edguez has promised to cooperate with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Venezuela\u2019s vast oil resources, while insisting the country will not be subservient to Washington.<\/p>

Willians dismissed some post-Maduro speculation as psychological tactics, such as fears that Trump might strike again or that Rodr\u00edguez might align with the U.S.<\/p>

They respect her ideological roots\u2014Rodr\u00edguez is the daughter of a far-left activist who died in custody in 1976.<\/p>

\u201cNo one would betray her father,\u201d said Alfredo Canchica, head of another collective, Fundaci\u00f3n 3 Ra\u00edces.<\/p>

\u201cYou can betray the people, but not your father.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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When asked about the future under Rodr\u00edguez and Trump, colectivo members remained guarded.<\/p>

\u201cWe don\u2019t believe the American threats,\u201d Canchica said. \u201cIf they want us, they\u2019ll have to kill us first.\u201d<\/p>

A Controversial Force<\/strong><\/h5>

Opponents fear the colectivos as a heavily armed, motorbike-mounted shock force. Yet in some neighborhoods, they are welcomed for reducing crime and distributing subsidized food.<\/p>

At the Chato Candela baseball stadium in the working-class 23 de Enero district, Canchica defended their reputation.<\/p>

\u201cWhen opponents accused Maduro of rigging the July 2014 election, we kept the shantytowns from erupting,\u201d he said.<\/p>

He added that colectivos also run sports programs, coordinate with hospitals and transport services, and monitor local trade to prevent price gouging.<\/p>

Loyal to the Chavista movement, they felt deeply betrayed by Maduro\u2019s capture.<\/p>

\u201cThe betrayal must have come from someone very close to our commander,\u201d Canchica said.<\/p>

\u201cIt happened so perfectly and so fast that we didn\u2019t even notice\u2014it\u2019s still unclear who was behind it or how they did it.\u201d<\/p>

In his office, surrounded by images of Simon Bolivar, Ch\u00e1vez, and Maduro, with books, bullets, and a sound-wave bomb on the table, Suarez recalled watching animated reconstructions of Maduro\u2019s capture online.<\/p>

\u201cIt makes you angry,\u201d he said. \u201cDespite all the military support we\u2019ve received from Putin, China, and North Korea, how are we supposed to respond in real time when the U.S. has far superior technology?\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Armed Venezuelan colectivos reject US intervention after the raid that ousted Maduro, vowing to resist fiercely, saying \u201cthey\u2019ll have to kill us first\u201d rather than back down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"post_template":[],"top_category":[],"class_list":["post-41193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41193"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41228,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41193\/revisions\/41228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41193"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=41193"},{"taxonomy":"top_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/top_category?post=41193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}