rki.news
Johannesburg, January 06 – A former South African ambassador to the United States has sharply criticized recent actions by US President Donald Trump toward Venezuela, describing them as unacceptable and contrary to international law.
Speaking to Independent Online, Welile Nhlapo said the use of military force as a tool of international relations amounted to bullying and violated fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Nhlapo argued that the actions also breached US domestic law, noting that only the US Congress has the authority to approve military operations against a foreign sovereign state. “Congress was neither informed nor did it give permission,” he said.
He rejected Washington’s justification that the actions were linked to drug trafficking and law enforcement concerns, stating that such claims lacked credibility. According to Nhlapo, these explanations were used to mask what he described as an invasion of a sovereign nation.
“In reality, it is the abduction of a sitting, democratically elected president by a foreign country,” he said, adding that such conduct represents a serious violation of international norms and established diplomatic practices.
Nhlapo warned that these actions place the United States on the wrong side of international law and risk undermining global stability if left unchallenged.