Venezuelan-born Islander says Maduro's capture is sparking hope, uncertainty
CBC
Many are feeling mixed emotions about the future of Venezuela after U.S. forces captured the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, early Saturday.
U.S. forces hit the capital, Caracas, with airstrikes and moved Maduro and his wife out of the country.
In a news conference Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States will run Venezuela until a new government is in place, though it is unclear how he plans to oversee the country.
Thamara DeVries is a Charlottetown-based realtor who was born in Venezuela and moved to Canada at 18. She said she has heard different reactions from people in Venezuela.
"No one knows what's going to happen in the next little while, so basically there is a mix of emotions from having some relief, some hope," she said.
"Unfortunately, we've had a load of times where a situation like this has come up where change might be emerging, and nothing happens. So I think everybody's being cautious about how hopeful they are."
Since Maduro became Venezuela's president in 2013, he has overseen a spectacular economic collapse in the country. His rule became best known for allegedly rigged elections, food shortages and rights abuses.
"Everything that my family built for the last five generations was destroyed," DeVries said.
"This is not a government that Venezuelans [have wanted] for a very, very, very long time.... This is bringing hope to Venezuelans in Venezuela, and abroad."
She hopes Maduro's ouster will allow her to visit Venezuela again.
"It just really gives me hope that I'm going to be able to show my kids [where] I was born," she said.
At the same time, DeVries said she still has questions about how the country is going to be run in the near future.
"Everything comes at a cost, and I think everybody is wondering what the cost will be," she said.
"I'm not really sure how much the Trump administration is going to be involved in the government. But I know that Trump has said that he's interested in having control of the oil, basically."
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