Venezuelas Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello Faces Growing Scrutiny Over Militia Ties

Venezuelan Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace Diosdado Cabello has been identified as a key figure in the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro’s government. A longtime ally of both Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez, Cabello has emerged as a prominent leader within the Venezuelan government.

Cabello was born in El Furrial, Monagas State, and holds a graduate degree in engineering from Andres Bello University. He served in various roles under Chavez, including chief of staff and minister of interior and justice, infrastructure and public works. Cabello also played a significant role in the 1992 attempted coup against President Carlos Andres Perez, spending two years in jail after the coup failed.

Following Chavez’s death in 2013, Cabello became speaker of the National Assembly and was next in line to serve as interim president according to the Venezuelan Constitution. However, the role instead went to Maduro, who remained in power for over a decade. Cabello subsequently rose to become security tsar, leading the internal security apparatus and wielding power over armed civilians known as “colectivos”.

Cabello has been accused by an independent United Nations human rights mission of enforcing crackdowns on protests and media coverage critical of Maduro’s government. The UN mission reported that Cabello has been involved in suppressing dissent and limiting freedom of expression.

In recent days, thousands of supporters of Maduro joined a public protest against his weekend abduction by US soldiers. During the protest, Cabello marched with the demonstrators before delivering a speech in front of a giant portrait of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The US military operation to abduct Maduro underscored the significant disparity in military capabilities between the two countries.

Cabello is currently serving as Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace and is in charge of paramilitary forces, including the Bolivarian Militia and colectivos. Venezuela has 220,000 paramilitary soldiers, more than double its formal military size.

Source: Al Jazeera