Venezuela’s Presidential Guard Chief Sacked Days After Maduro’s Capture by US Forces

Venezuela’s Presidential Guard Chief Sacked Days After Maduro’s Capture by US Forces

Venezuelan General Javier Marcano Tábata, commander of the presidential honour guard, has been removed from his post just days after US forces seized President Nicolás Maduro in a high-profile operation in Caracas.

The presidential honour guard, responsible for protecting the head of state, reportedly suffered heavy casualties during the raid, which also claimed the lives of dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban personnel. The US operation has left Maduro in custody in New York, facing narco-terrorism charges.

The order to replace General Marcano Tábata came from interim president Delcy Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro who was sworn in by the National Assembly on Monday. Analysts suggest the dismissal is linked to the guard’s failure to prevent Maduro’s capture, rather than the general’s prior record overseeing the military counterintelligence unit DGCIM, which has been implicated in numerous human rights abuses.

Marcano Tábata’s successor, Gustavo González López, previously headed the national intelligence service SEBIN, which operates the notorious Helicoide prison in Caracas and has faced UN scrutiny for torture and mistreatment of opposition figures, journalists, and protesters.

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The sacking comes amid heightened tensions as the US threatens further military action. President Donald Trump warned that Rodríguez would face a “fate worse than Maduro’s” if she did not comply with US demands, including providing access to Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest proven reserves in the world.

Despite these pressures, Rodríguez has alternated between defiant rhetoric—denouncing Maduro’s capture as an “illegal kidnapping”—and calls for cooperation with the US, signaling a delicate balancing act as she consolidates power.

Venezuelan officials report that at least 23 military personnel, including five generals, were killed in the US raid, while Cuban authorities confirmed 32 Cuban nationals were among the casualties. The operation has left some government supporters feeling humiliated by the failure of Venezuela’s defence and presidential security apparatus.

Observers believe that replacing Marcano Tábata is an attempt by Rodríguez to strengthen loyalty within her inner circle, as the threat of a second US strike remains. Trump has said additional operations were prepared but not executed, warning that non-compliance by interim officials could result in “a very big price.”

Other figures in Rodríguez’s government, including hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, are also under US scrutiny, with the State Department offering $25 million for information leading to his capture for alleged involvement in a narco-conspiracy.

Venezuela’s Presidential Guard Chief Sacked Days After Maduro’s Capture by US Forces

BBC