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Venezuelan Militia to Become Part of National Bolivarian Armed Forces - Maduro

© AFP 2023 / Federico Parra Members of the Bolivarian militia deploy a 1200-metre-long Venezuelan flag in Caracas on April 13, 2015 during a rally to protest against US sanctions against Venezuelan officials
Members of the Bolivarian militia deploy a 1200-metre-long Venezuelan flag in Caracas on April 13, 2015 during a rally to protest against US sanctions against Venezuelan officials - Sputnik International
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Venezuela will amend its legislation in order to make the militia a part of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in an address on Sunday.

"Comandante Chavez has dreamed of a powerful and great militia […] The militia will receive a constitutional rank as a full-fledged part of the country's Armed Forces", Maduro said adding that the legislation would be amended for this move.

Earlier this month, Maduro said that the number of Venezuelan militia officers would be increased from 2.1 million to 3 million by December 2019.

The decision comes on the heels of a deep political crisis in Venezuela that has recently entered its third month.

READ MORE: Russia, Other Countries to Block US-Drafted UN Resolution on Venezuela — Envoy

A Venezuelan patrol boat passes oil tanker Kim Jacob carrying 1 million barrels of crude that ran aground in Venezuelan waters near Borracha Island off Venezuela's eastern state of Anzoategui, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006 - Sputnik International
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US Issues New Anti-Venezuela Sanctions - Treasury Department
In January, US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election victory in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down.

Constitutionally elected Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey, and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.

US President Donald Trump has hinted that a US military intervention in Venezuela was "an option".

READ MORE: Pompeo: China a 'Corrosive' Presence in Venezuela, Russia 'Escalating' Crisis

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