US seizure of Maduro creates fear, uncertainty for residents of Caracas

Fear and uncertainty hung over Venezuela's capital of Caracas on Monday, two days after United States forces seized President Nicolas Maduro in a nighttime operation that supporters of the government have denounced as an attack on the country's sovereignty.

"I don't think anyone slept on Saturday. I kept the shop closed until Sunday because we were afraid, and we still are," Norell Ramirez, a Caracas kiosk owner, told China Daily. "There's fear because we don't know what might happen. They bombed in the early morning. There are dead people."

Accurate casualty figures have yet to be released, but various preliminary estimates suggest that about 80 people were killed, including civilians and security personnel. Cuba said 32 of its citizens working in Venezuela were killed.

Ramirez said the confusion on the ground in Caracas has been fueled by conflicting messages from Washington and the local government.

"Even though everything is calm now, we don't know what might happen because (US President Donald) Trump says one thing, and the government here says another," said Ramirez. "And you don't know what to do, what to think."

"My fear is that a war will start. Life goes on, but there's a strange calm, because not everything is calm. From here, inside Venezuela, you can feel a lot of tension, a lot of uncertainty."

On the streets, anxiety mingled with a sense of suspended normalcy. Some stores remained closed, while others cautiously reopened on Monday. Although public transportation continued operating, many residents stayed home, following updates on their phones and watching state television.

"It's a very strange feeling," Maria Antonieta Peralta, a nurse in Caracas, told China Daily. She described shortages of medicine and supplies, as well as widespread apprehension about what comes next.

"I'm feeling very uncertain, a mix of fear and trying to figure out the best path forward for our country," said Peralta. "Uncertain because I have to pretend nothing is wrong and carry on with my normal daily life, praying that Trump doesn't decide to treat us like a colony.

"We don't want to be a colony, and he (Trump) doesn't come here to impose his rules," Peralta said. "Nobody asked him for help. We asked Latin America and the whole world for help. … It's very hard being here, living like this today."

Jose Camacho, another Caracas resident, said he opposed the US move.

"I'm angry because I managed to get ahead under both (President Hugo) Chavez and Maduro. I have my job, a house and my car," Camacho told China Daily. "And while I know it's not easy for everyone, there have lately been fewer power outages, fewer problems getting things."

Camacho argued that the US operation stripped Venezuelans of agency.

"Now the US is getting involved, and we're forced to do what they say. I don't think it's fair," he said."Nobody asked Trump for help. He came, bombed, killed people and left."

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.