Maduro Calls on South America's Indigenous Peoples to Defend Venezuela Against U.S.: 'We Are Indestructible'

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro has called on Indigenous peoples across South America to organize "brigades" ready to defend the country against what he described as a growing threat from the United States.

Speaking Sunday during a ceremony marking the Day of Indigenous Resistance, which replaced Columbus Day, Maduro urged unity among what he called "the popular, military, and police forces" to protect national sovereignty amid heightened tensions with Washington.

"The order is given: to win peace and exercise permanent sovereignty in our territory and seas," Maduro said at the National Pantheon in Caracas, where he was joined by delegations of Indigenous communities. Wearing a colorful feathered headdress, he declared: "we are an indestructible people, preparing to win peace — peace with freedom, sovereignty, and independence."

The Venezuelan leader claimed to have received letters from Indigenous groups across Latin America offering to "fight" alongside Venezuela should the U.S. launch a military offensive. "If you want peace, prepare to win peace with unity," he said. Maduro ordered the expansion of Indigenous militia structures across the country, saying they were "ready to fight for the Republic."

The comments come as tensions with Washington continue to rise. In recent months, the Trump administration has ordered the deployment of U.S. Navy vessels in the Caribbean under the claim that it is combating drug cartels allegedly operating from Venezuela. The White House has accused Maduro of leading the "Cartel of the Suns," doubling the reward for his capture from $25 million to $50 million.

The speech also followed the announcement that opposition leader María Corina Machado had been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, a development that angered Maduro and his allies. Referring to her as a "demonic witch," he denounced what he called "a tiny minority filled with hatred that calls for an invasion of Venezuela."

Maduro also stated that Venezuela was facing "a confrontation between two worlds — the imperialist world with its ambitions and racism, and our world of millennial resistance and victory." "Here no one surrenders," he said. "We move forward in permanent resistance."

According to official data, about 2.7 percent of Venezuela's nearly 30 million people identify as Indigenous, most living in remote and underserved regions, as Euronews points out. The ceremony also marked the launch of the new Indigenous branch of the Bolivarian National Militia, an initiative Maduro said would help safeguard the country's sovereignty amid what he described as "external threats."