Nicolás Maduro Guerra, the son of the former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, has voiced concerns over his father’s health. Speaking to “Der Spiegel”, Maduro Guerra noted that his father “used to eat very healthily” citing a diet rich in vegetables and low in sugar. He added that recently, Maduro has taken in too many carbohydrates, highly processed foods, and excessive salt.
Maduro himself was captured and taken out of the country in a spectacular operation conducted by U.S. elite soldiers on the night of January 3rd. According to Maduro Guerra, the assault on the capital, Caracas, caught the Venezuelan government by surprise. He stated that he had assumed the attack would occur in a different location, with the goal of opening a space for negotiations. Maduro Guerra confessed that they had underestimated the technological capabilities of the Americans, admitting, “Even though we knew we wouldn’t have sovereignty over the airspace during an attack-it’s not the same thing to experience. We should have done more to protect my father. In that regard, we failed”.
Maduro Guerra claimed that on the night of the arrest, his father likely expected to die. He left an unsent voice message on his phone to his son, in which he spoke about “falling bombs” urging the Venezuelan people to continue fighting, and emphasizing that their homeland would never become a colony. This message was described as a “farewell message”.
Since Maduro’s detention, his long-time deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, has taken charge of governing the Venezuelan capital. Regarding the reforms-particularly those initiated by Rodriguez in the oil and mining sectors-Maduro Guerra spoke of a “new Venezuela, opening itself to the world”. He characterized this as a “new moment focused on dialogue and reconciliation” suggesting that Venezuela had become too steeped in conflicts that led nowhere. According to him, the nation “needs a way that leads to prosperity and peace”.
In looking back at the recent past, Maduro Guerra acknowledged that there were indeed “difficult times” and “mistakes we made” including excesses for which the Chavismo movement must ask for forgiveness. He concluded by stating that “the responsibility for taking the first step lies with us”.