Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodríguez fires general who failed to protect Maduro during US raid
Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has dismissed the general in charge of the presidential honor guard after his forces failed to stop the U.S. operation that captured President Trump’s Venezuelan target, Nicolás Maduro.
General Javier Marcano Tábata, who commanded the elite force responsible for protecting Venezuela’s head of state, was removed from his post on Wednesday in Rodríguez’s first major shake‑up of Maduro’s inner circle since the dramatic U.S. raid in Caracas on January 3. In that operation, U.S. forces seized Maduro and flew him to New York to face narco‑terrorism charges.
Rodríguez replaced him with General Gustavo González López, a former intelligence service chief, as part of her effort to reconfigure the country’s security leadership. Tábata’s removal is widely seen as a response to the security failure that allowed the U.S. raid to succeed.
The U.S. president publicly signaled to Rodríguez that Caracas must maintain civil order and meet Washington’s demands on oil cooperation, warning of severe consequences if she did not comply. Rodríguez has taken a complex stance, condemning the U.S. action as an “illegal kidnapping” while also engaging in talks on cooperation with Washington.
The presidential honor guard and related security units suffered casualties during the U.S. operation, though Venezuela has not released a full official toll. Rodríguez has declared a period of national mourning for those killed in the raid and called for unity amid the crisis.
Tábata had previously led the military counterintelligence unit DGCIM, which international observers have accused of human rights abuses. His successor, González López, also has a controversial record from his time leading the national intelligence service, raising questions about how much the leadership change will alter Venezuela’s security posture.
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