Venezuela once again heard a flurry of gunshots, with rumors circulating that some generals are staging a coup to overthrow the acting president!
At night on January 5th to early morning on January 6th, 2026, the center of Caracas became tense again. A flurry of gunshots were heard near Miraflores Palace, and witnesses took photos of multiple small drones hovering at low altitudes. Local media quickly spread a claim: some generals are secretly plotting a coup, targeting the current acting leader who is temporarily performing presidential duties.
It seems that the current acting president's attempt to negotiate with the U.S. has caused dissatisfaction, especially in foreign exchange distribution and oil revenue management, which weakened the interests of the traditional military groups; on the other hand, the recent U.S. sanctions against some Venezuelan officials may imply that they have some contact or room for compromise with external forces. Of course, these are all unconfirmed, but they are sufficient to form reasonable speculation about the motives for a coup.
As for the impact, regardless of whether the coup actually occurs, such events themselves have severely shaken the already fragile stability. The market reacted quickly: on the morning of January 6th, the price of Venezuela's sovereign bonds plummeted, and the black market exchange rate depreciated by more than 8% in one day.
Neighboring countries Colombia and Brazil have strengthened border security, fearing a new wave of refugees or cross-border armed infiltration. More importantly, if there is a split within the military - for example, some units support the coup while others remain loyal to the acting president - the country could slide into a deeper institutional crisis, even local conflicts.
The U.S. captures the President of Venezuela
Original: toutiao.com/article/1853534383312969/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.