Security & Strategic Review - October 2023

President Nicolás Maduro’s government has been waging a war on Venezuela’s illegal gold miners since August 2022. Whilst the motives for the crackdown are open to debate, illegal miners now appear to be pushing back. On 14 September Venezuela’s armed forces (FANB) announced that a patrol had been attacked by armed miners in the country’s sprawling Yapacana national park, and that two people had been killed and six wounded in the ensuing confrontation.