LatinNews Daily - 02 February 2026

Venezuela: On 22 January the US embassy in Venezuela announced the appointment of Laura Dogu as chargé d’affaires to the Venezuela Affairs Unit, a team of US diplomats operating out of the US embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. Dogu, who previously served as US ambassador to Nicaragua (2015-2018) and Honduras (2022-2025), replaces interim chargé d’affaires John McNamara. The appointment is part of the Donald Trump administration’s three-step strategic plan in Venezuela of “stability, recovery and transition”, which was outlined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 7 January. According to a senior US State Department official who spoke to news outlets, this plan “requires a full-time chargé d’affaires at the Venezuela Affairs Unit” and Dogu is “well-positioned to lead the team during this transition period.” There are also signs that the US is looking to reopen its embassy in Caracas following the 3 January capture of Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), after a delegation led by McNamara travelled to Venezuela on 9 January to conduct an assessment on the viability of resuming operations in the country. US operations at the embassy have been suspended since 2019. Dogu travelled to Caracas on 31 January although the purpose of her visit was not made public.