Photo: Protest in front of US Embassy in Ottawa on Sunday January 4, 2026, the day after the US attack on Venezuela. Photo by Brent Patterson.
Peace Brigades International-Canada is amplifying the voices of PBI accompanied organizations, defenders and communities following the US military intervention in Venezuela on January 3, 2026.
That includes these articles:
– PBI-Colombia accompanied organizations reject US military aggression against Venezuela
– PBI-Honduras accompanied organizations reject US military aggression against Venezuela.
EU-LAT Network
We have also been attentive to public statements from networks, including the EU-LAT Network whose membership includes PBI-Guatemala, PBI-Honduras, PBI-Mexico and PBI-Nicaragua:
United Nations
We also remain attentive to statements being made by the United Nations.
This morning, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for human rights, wrote: “The US military operation in Venezuela undermines a fundamental principle of international law, agreed after the horrors of two world wars and the Holocaust: states must not use force to pursue their territorial claims or political demands.”
Türk adds: “Far from being a victory for human rights, this military intervention – in contravention of Venezuelan sovereignty and the UN charter – damages the architecture of international security, making every country less safe.”
The threat of military action in Colombia and Mexico
We also remain in close contact with the Peace Brigades International teams in Colombia and Mexico following US President Trump’s threats against those countries.
This past weekend, Trump appeared to imply that military action could soon be coming to Colombia and Mexico.
When asked by a reporter if there could be a US operation against Colombian president Gustavo Petro, Trump responded: “Sounds good to me.”
The Guardian has further noted: “The Colombian defence minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced Saturday [January 3, 2026] that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.”
Trump also commented: “You have to do something with Mexico. Mexico has to get their act together” and that Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum is “concerned, she’s a little afraid.”
In November 2025, Trump stated: “Would I want strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs.”
US electoral interference in Honduras
PBI-Canada is also amplifying the social media posts by PBI-Honduras accompanied organizations following the November 30, 2025, election there.
– PBI-Honduras accompanies organizations at press conference in front of the US Embassy on electoral interference (December 5, 2025)
Le Monde has previously reported: “On Friday, November 28, Trump announced that if the right-wing candidate, Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura, wins the Honduran presidential election … he would not only support the country economically but would also grant a ‘full and complete’ pardon to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez [who was convicted in a US court for cocaine trafficking]…”
Democracy Now! had also reported: “Trump vowed that there will be ‘hell to pay’ in Honduras …after threatening to cut off U.S. aid to Honduras if his favored candidate doesn’t win.”
After a prolonged vote count, the Trump-backed Asfura was declared the winner of the election on December 24, 2025.
Election in Colombia, May 31, 2026
The electoral interference in Honduras has raised concerns about the likelihood the Trump administration could meddle in the upcoming election in Colombia.
This past Sunday January 4, Trump commented that Colombia is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” Trump added: “He’s not going to be doing it for very long.”
Constitutionally limited to one term, President Petro is scheduled to leave office on August 7, 2026.
The most recent poll in Colombia indicates that Senator Iván Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition has emerged as the early front-runner with 31.9% of the vote. The poll also placed Abelardo de la Espriella (described by El Pais as the far-right candidate) at 18.2% support, independent centrist Sergio Fajardo at 8.5%, and Miguel Uribe Londoño (of the Democratic Centre party) at 4.2%.
That poll was published on December 1, 2025.
On December 2, 2025, Colombia Reports reported: “In a press statement, the [Democratic Center/CD] said that presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella had called the CD’s leader, former President Alvaro Uribe, to inform him that the presidential hopeful ‘resigned from the Democratic Center to support Mr. De la Espriella.’”
PBI-Canada
The core mission of PBI-Canada is the protection of human rights defenders whose lives have been threatened. We continue to do so by amplifying the voices of at-risk organizations, defenders and communities, support for on-the-ground PBI protection teams, and through the provision of factual, non-partisan analysis.
