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

"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.

US Issues New Anti-Venezuela Sanctions - Treasury Department

12 April 2019, 18:10 GMT

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".