CARACAS: The United States has named a new head for its embassy in Venezuela, a US diplomatic source told AFP Thursday, just under three weeks after Washington toppled the oil-rich Latin American country’s leader.
The US embassy page listed Laura F. Dogu — a former ambassador to Nicaragua and Honduras — as the new charge d’affaires to Venezuela, where US-backed interim president Delcy Rodriguez has taken over from Nicolas Maduro. Maduro was seized by US troops in a lightning January 3 attack on the capital Caracas that President Donald Trump said leaves the United States able to “run” the country and control its oil industry.
Caracas and Washington severed diplomatic ties after Maduro’s widely disputed claim to reelection in 2019, and the US embassy has been mostly deserted since then, barring a few local employees.
However, John McNamara served as US charge d’affaires for Venezuela — based in neighboring Colombia — since last year.
A charge d’affaires heads a diplomatic mission in the absence of a full ambassador.
McNamara travelled with other US diplomats to Caracas days after Maduro’s ouster to “conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations” at the embassy.
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