Venezuelan President calls on army to be ready to fight foreign invaders

Before thousands of soldiers in the capital Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday declared that he is a "warrior of peace" hoping to bring happiness and prosperity to the country, and asked the army to prepare thoroughly to repel and destroy "invading forces".

"We will fully equip our army. The imperialist invaders can enter a part of our homeland. But they should know that they will not leave here alive, because the people will hunt them down to protect the peace, independence and sovereignty of Venezuela,"Guardianquoted Maduro as saying.

"We will defend the country from imperialism, oligarchs and traitors, whether they are in Bogota or Brasilia," Maduro stressed, adding that the 1.6 million militia force needed to be strengthened to make Venezuela "inviolable".

Maduro's statement appeared to be aimed at the United States, Colombia and Brazil, which Caracas considers "hostile forces." The United States has recently increased pressure on Maduro, warning that he "will have to go."

Brazil's new foreign minister, Ernesto Fraga Araujo, also called for the "liberation of Venezuela" on December 16. Senior officials later affirmed that Brazil had no intention of invading Venezuela by force but would seek to oust Maduro.

Venezuela is in a deep crisis, with inflation reaching more than 400,000% a year, causing hunger and disease to skyrocket and forcing more than 2 million people to emigrate. President Maduro says his government is the victim of an "economic war" led by the opposition and fueled by US sanctions. However, critics blame the country's economic model, which strictly controls the exchange of goods and nationalizes private companies.