CARACAS - When explosions boomed in the night and US warplanes roared across the sky over Caracas, Jorge Suarez and his companions rushed fearfully for their guns.
For these members of the colectivos—armed loyalists of the leftist leadership—the US raid that ousted Nicolás Maduro as president was their most dramatic challenge yet.
“We’re not used to it—it was like a bestseller, like something out of a movie,” said Suarez, wearing black sunglasses and a cap bearing the slogan “Doubt is treason.” “We took to the streets, waiting for instructions from our leaders.”
As proud defenders of the Venezuelan leadership’s socialist “Bolivarian Revolution,” the ousting of Maduro has left them furious and bewildered, convinced that he was betrayed by close allies.
“There is frustration, anger, and a will to fight,” said a 43-year-old member of one collective, the Boina Roja—which translates as Red Beret—who identified himself only as Willians. Wearing a black cap and hooded jacket, he added: “It’s still not really clear what happened. What is clear is that there were many betrayals,” pointing to what he described as implausible failures in Maduro’s defenses. “We don’t understand how the anti-aircraft system failed. We don’t know what happened to the rocket-launch system.”
Established in their current form under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, the colectivos are tasked with maintaining social order on the streets—but are accused by opponents of beating and intimidating rivals. They have closed ranks behind Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy, who took over as interim president. She has pledged to cooperate with US President Donald Trump over his demand for access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, while insisting the country is not “subordinate” to Washington.
Willians said the colectivos were resisting certain post-Maduro narratives, which he dismissed as psychological warfare—such as claims that Trump might bomb again or that Delcy Rodríguez is aligned with the United States. They respect her ideological pedigree: Rodríguez is the daughter of a far-left militant who died in the custody of the intelligence services in 1976.
“I don’t think anyone would betray her father,” said Alfredo Canchica, leader of another collective, Fundación 3 Raíces. “You can betray the people, but not your father.” (Bssnews)
