Venezuela, proof that fossil fuels are a security curse

As American military forces move against Venezuela, the world is witnessing yet another chapter in the age-old story of oil and empire.

- Mohamed Adow

Nature's bounty: Africa possesses extraordinary renewable energy potential, with its abundant sunshine, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric resources.

While Nicolás Maduro's regime has plenty of critics, we must not be blind to what is truly unfolding: the United States is wielding Venezuela's vast petroleum reserves as an instrument of geopolitical control, precisely when humanity most urgently needs to move beyond fossil fuels.

For those of us in Africa watching this crisis, the lessons are unmistakable and deeply concerning.

Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves and the timing of this intervention reveals the uncomfortable truth that fossil fuels are no longer treated merely as commodities to be traded but as weapons of statecraft to be controlled.

As nations worldwide attempt to break free from fossil fuel dependence in the wake of the climate emergency, powerful actors are grabbing the very resources we need to leave behind.

But make no mistake; this is not merely a South American problem or a matter of distant geopolitics as it exposes a fundamental instability built into our global energy system. From the Niger Delta to Libya to Sudan and Mozambique, African nations have experienced firsthand how fossil fuel reserves transform regions into conflict zones.