When Edith Perales was younger, he enlisted in the National Bolivarian Militia, a civilian force created by the late President Hugo Chávez in 2009 to help defend Venezuela.
We have to be a country capable of defending every last inch of our territory so no one comes to mess with us, Chávez said at the time.
Sixteen years on, Perales, who is now 68, is joining thousands of other militia members getting ready for a potential US attack.
The rag-tag force, mainly made up of senior citizens, has been called up following the deployment of US navy ships in the South Caribbean on what US officials said were counter-narcotics operations.
The US force has destroyed at least three boats it said were carrying drugs from Venezuela to the US, killing at least 17 people on board.
Venezuela's defence minister, Vladimir Padrino, has stated that the US attacks and navy presence represent a non-declared war against the country, prompting President Nicolás Maduro to activate the militia.
Perales, a loyal government supporter, stands ready to defend the Caracas neighborhood he calls home as tensions escalate. The training of local militias is an urgent response from Maduro’s government to US actions, reinforcing a defensive posture among civilians.
Amidst military drills and the call to arms, perceptions of a looming invasion are met with varying reactions within the country. While militia members embrace their roles, daily life elsewhere continues with a level of normalcy seemingly indifferent to the potential conflict.
Experts believe that this mobilization serves to create a human shield against any possible US military aggression, increasing the stakes in an already fraught geopolitical landscape.
