Swiss in Venezuela say US intervention was expected and necessary

According to Swiss expatriates C. and P., the Venezuelan people are happy about Nicolás Maduro's downfall, but they will not demonstrate this publicly, as here in Barcelona, for fear of reprisals. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Following the United States' military intervention in Venezuela on January 3 and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, Swiss people living there contacted by Swissinfo say they are relieved. Despite the fear of reprisals, life on the ground has returned to normal, they say.

“It was the only solution,” says C.*. The 72-year-old Swiss citizen, who has lived in Venezuela for more than three decades, is pleased that the United States has intervened. “People who don’t live here can’t understand the impact of criminal structures on daily life,” he says.

P.*, 79, who has lived in Venezuela for more than 20 years, agrees: “We’ve known this was going to happen for a long time. So it came as no surprise.”

The fact that the two men are speaking on condition of anonymity is a sign that the fall of Maduro’s government has not yet led to freedom of speech. During our interview, C. didn’t mention any names and wanted to speak in Swiss German, which is “more difficult to understand, if anyone were to listen to us”.

As for P., he keeps a low profile so as not to get into trouble.

“Everyone is happy here, but it’s a ‘frenada alegría’ – a subdued joy. There won’t be any honking in the streets, because although the snake’s head has been cut off, the beast is still alive,” says C.

People don’t feel free to speak out critically about the Maduro government because they fear reprisals. “Pro-government troops are carrying out checks in certain streets. They ask to see phones, and they’d better not have any hostile messages on them, otherwise you risk being kidnapped or ending up in prison,” says P.

In addition, the “state of exception” decreed by the Venezuelan authorities on January 3 is a source of concern, as it allows “the search for and arrest of anyone involved in promoting or supporting the armed attack led by the United States of America against the territory of the Republic”, the decree statesExternal link.

Return to normal

But daily life has returned to normal in Caracas, according to the two Swiss: people are going to work, domestic flights have resumed, supermarket shelves are stocked and petrol is available at petrol stations. “In the first few days, people panicked and rushed to the shops to stock up. But calm has returned and now you can find everything,” says P.

This description contrasts with the analysis of the situationExternal link by the Swiss foreign ministry, which talks of possible border closures, shortages of essential goods, and disrupted internet and telephone connections.

It recommends that Swiss nationals on the ground “stay away from demonstrations of all kinds, limit their movements within the country to the essential minimum and check security conditions beforehand”.

Low demand for help

The foreign ministry told Swissinfo that it was aware of a few cases where Swiss nationals had encountered difficulties when travelling. “The number of requests from Swiss nationals living in Venezuela is low. The foreign ministry helpline and the embassy in Caracas have dealt with fewer than ten such requests,” says spokesman Pierre-Alain Eltschinger.

Over the past 20 years, the number of Swiss nationals in Venezuela has fallen sharply, from 2,072 in 1994 to 813 officially registered with the embassy in 2024, according to figures External linkfrom the Swiss Federal Statistical Office.

“Around 970 people are currently registered as Swiss Abroad. These figures also include family members who do not have Swiss nationality,” the foreign ministry says.

Little desire to leave the country

According to C., very few Swiss nationals in Venezuela are still first-generation. What’s more, according to P., most of them have no financial difficulties that might cause them to leave. “At the moment, the situation is much more dangerous for American expats than for the Swiss, who enjoy a good reputation,” says C.

While C. has no plans to leave the country, P. would like to move back to Switzerland “to spend a quiet retirement”. But he will be staying in Venezuela for a few more years, as he is still involved in training many young people.

Cautious hope

P. and C. are delighted that Nicolás Maduro’s government has fallen, but they remain cautious about how the situation will develop.

“If the American intervention brings about real change, that will be positive, otherwise it will all have been for nothing,” says P. He would have liked the president’s “loyal allies” to have been arrested too, because “they are the ones who are going to make the transition difficult”. He now hopes that democratic elections will be held.

C. says he is usually opposed to intervention by a foreign power, but he considers that “in this case, it was necessary”. However, he is disappointed that the US has kept opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado out of power. P. would also have liked her to be involved in the new government.

“The army, which remains under Nicolás Maduro’s thumb, would certainly have overthrown an opposition government. Choosing to work with Delcy Rodríguez represents a pragmatic solution,” according to C.

A view shared by P. He warns, however: “If the new government does not cooperate with the United States, they will intervene again, and this time certainly more brutally”.

* Names known to Swissinfo
Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Translated from French by AI/ts

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