DISINFO: The US is making plans for the ‘balkanization’ and fragmentation of Venezuela
SUMMARY
The United States are planning to foment unrest and secessionism to force the territorial division of Venezuela in order to gain access to its natural resources. There are several areas as potential focus for an artificially-fuelled separatism: the Paraguaná peninsula (rich in hydrocarbons), the so-called ‘Western half-moon’ composed by the states of Zulia, Táchira and Mérida (rich in hydrocarbons, agrarian and farming products), the ‘Western triangle’ of the cities of Barquisimeto, Acarigua and Valencia (strategically decisive) and the region of Guayana (rich in minerals).
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative about US intervention in Venezuela's internal affairs. There is no evidence of a secessionist movement in any region of Venezuela with enough support to present a threat to the central authorities, much less that the US is making plans to promote one. The conflict of the Pemon communities with the Venezuelan state has a long historical tradition. It is taking a political, anti-government turn, but no scholar or analyst considers it a serious challenge to the territorial integrity of Venezuela. The disinformation narrative is rooted in the fear dating to the Chavist regime about the emergence of a separatist movement in the richest regions, such as the one in the Santa Cruz province in Bolivia in the last decade, that could be exploited from abroad to destabilize the country.