Keypoints:
- Ghana says US action violates international law and state sovereignty
- Accra warns of colonial-era precedents and global instability
- Calls for Maduro’s immediate release and de-escalation
THE Government of Ghana has issued a sharply worded condemnation of what it describes as a unilateral military invasion of Venezuela by the United States of America, accusing Washington of abducting President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
In a statement issued in Accra on January 4, 2026, the Ghanaian government said it was ‘alarmed’ by reports that US forces entered Venezuelan territory in the early hours of January 3 and forcibly removed the country’s elected leader. The statement was circulated to media houses as Ghana’s official position on the rapidly escalating crisis.
‘Blatant violation of international law’
Accra said it ‘strongly deplores’ any unilateral use of force, arguing that the reported operation constitutes a clear breach of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and the core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states.
‘Such actions undermine the foundations of the rules-based international order,’ the statement said, warning that unchecked military interventions threaten global stability and weaken multilateral norms established in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The Ghanaian government said it was following developments in Venezuela ‘with great concern’, particularly the broader implications of external military control and the potential occupation of foreign territory.
Oil interests and Trump remarks criticised
Ghana’s statement also referenced remarks attributed to US President Donald Trump, who reportedly said Washington would ‘run’ Venezuela until a ‘safe, proper and judicious transition’ could be achieved. According to Accra, the comments further suggested that major US oil companies would be invited to operate in the country.
The government said such declarations evoked ‘the colonial and imperialist era’ and warned they set a dangerous precedent for international relations. ‘Colonial ambitions should have no place in the post-war global order,’ the statement said, adding that tolerance of such conduct would place every nation’s sovereignty at risk.
Self-determination ‘non-negotiable’
Reaffirming its long-held foreign policy stance, Ghana stressed its commitment to the principle of self-determination, insisting that only the Venezuelan people have the right to decide their political and democratic future without external coercion.
‘Attempts to impose political outcomes through military force are incompatible with international law and democratic norms,’ the statement said. Ghana positioned its response as consistent with its historical opposition to invasion, occupation, colonialism, apartheid and all forms of external domination.
Accra called for the immediate de-escalation of tensions and demanded the unconditional release of President Maduro and his wife, urging all parties to respect diplomatic engagement and international mediation mechanisms.
A principled foreign policy stance
The Ghanaian government said it would continue to maintain and defend its principled opposition to violations of sovereignty, regardless of the actors involved. It warned that selective adherence to international law would further erode trust in the global system at a time of heightened geopolitical tension.
Ghana’s intervention places it among a growing number of states raising alarm over the reported events in Venezuela, as international scrutiny intensifies over the legality and long-term consequences of Washington’s actions.
