Kenyan police moved in to disperse a small protest outside the United States Embassy in Nairobi on Thursday, as activists voiced opposition to the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
The demonstration, organised by members of the Pan-African Socialist Alliance and other solidarity groups, drew a crowd of around a dozen individuals who gathered in the Gigiri diplomatic district holding placards such as “Bring them back” and chanting slogans like “Viva Palestine, Viva Venezuela”.
Protester Kiritu Chege criticised the U.S. action, saying demonstrators had a right to express grief over casualties linked to the intervention, and specifically mentioning foreign nationals he said died during the operation.
“We have a right to mourn in front of the United States Embassy … for the Venezuelans and others who fell victim to forces of American imperialism,” Chege said.
Another participant, Joyce Ikadara, took aim at U.S. foreign policy, asserting that only Venezuelans should determine who leads their country.
“You have no right to go into a free country and arrest the president; you are not the police, and you are not the military,” she said, questioning why the United States does not intervene in countries with nuclear capabilities such as North Korea or China.
Some protesters also argued that the U.S. operation was driven by economic interests particularly Venezuela’s oil rather than legitimate anti-drug or security objectives.
“They don’t want Maduro, and they don’t want peace. They are not fighting drugs … they want the oil in the sovereign country of Venezuela,” said Selen Manguya.
Organisers called on Kenyans and like-minded groups to increase political awareness and resistance to what they described as “imperialism at our doorstep.”
Thursday’s protest came just hours after the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi issued a Demonstration Alert, warning of planned demonstrations linked to opposition to the Venezuelan operation and urging the public to exercise caution in the Gigiri area.
Internationally, the U.S. military action code-named Operation Absolute Resolve has drawn widespread reaction and controversy.
Reports indicate that the raid involved U.S. strikes in Caracas that resulted in the capture and rendition of Maduro, triggering political and diplomatic responses worldwide.
Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice subsequently designated Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president in Maduro’s absence, a decision later formalised amid ongoing tensions over sovereignty and legitimacy.
The Nairobi demonstration, though brief and dispersed by police, reflects growing global debates and local responses to major shifts in Venezuela’s political landscape and international relations.
