Venezuela’s interim leader reshuffles military after defence shake-up

Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has carried out a sweeping reshuffle of the country’s military leadership, replacing top commanders just one day after appointing a new defence minister, in a move aimed at consolidating control following the removal of Nicolás Maduro.

Rodríguez said the new appointments were intended to safeguard Venezuela’s “sovereignty, peace, stability and territorial integrity”, as per foreign media reports.

The overhaul follows a broader cabinet reshuffle that included the dismissal of long-serving defence minister Vladimir Padrino López and the appointment of former intelligence chief Gustavo González López, a figure previously sanctioned by the United States over alleged human rights abuses.

She also named new commanders for the armed forces: Dilio Alejandro Agüero Montes to lead the navy, Royman Antonio Hernández Briceño to lead the air force, and Rubén Darío Belzares Escobar to lead the army.

The changes come after the January US operation that led to Maduro’s capture and Rodríguez’s rise to interim leadership, followed by a gradual restoration of ties between Caracas and Washington.

However, the appointments have drawn criticism from rights groups. Activists argue that promoting González López — who previously headed Venezuela’s intelligence service — signals continuity rather than reform, with concerns that alleged abuses such as arbitrary detentions and repression could persist.

By Tamilla Hasanova