US urges Americans to leave Venezuela “immediately” due to risk

• The US State Department issued an "immediate" departure order for all Americans in Venezuela on Saturday, citing a fluid security situation where armed colectivo militias are reportedly searching vehicles at roadblocks for US citizens.
• While interim president Delcy Rodriguez signaled a willingness to cooperate with President Trump on oil production and reopening the US embassy, major oil executives remained cautious during a White House summit, labeling the country’s infrastructure "uninvestable" without massive reforms.

The US State Department on Saturday urged Americans in Venezuela to leave the country "immediately," citing risks from armed militias searching vehicles for US citizens at roadblocks.

"The security situation in Venezuela remains fluid," the department said in a security alert, one week after the country's leader Nicolas Maduro was abducted by US forces in a lightning raid.

"As international flights have resumed, US citizens in Venezuela should leave the country immediately," it said, warning of armed militias called colectivos searching cars for Americans or evidence of US support.

Supporters of Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro staged protests Saturday, a week after his dramatic abduction by US forces, but only hundreds turned out to demand his release as the interim government moved to revive ties with Washington.

Waving flags and placards with the face of the mustachioed ex-leader and his wife Cilia, around 1,000 protesters rallied in the west of Caracas and a few hundred in the eastern Petare district.

Notably absent from the rallies were top figures from the government, which has said it is reviving diplomatic contact with Washington and discussing possible oil sales to the United States.

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez instead attended an agricultural fair, where she vowed in televised comments she would "not rest for a minute until we have our president back."

The other two hardline powers in the government, Interior Minister and street enforcer Diosdado Cabello, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, were not seen at the demos either.

Diplomatic maneuvers

Despite the shock of Maduro's abduction during deadly nighttime raids on January 3, signs emerged Friday of cooperation with Washington after US President Donald Trump's claim to be "in charge" of the South American country.

Washington said US diplomats visited Caracas on Friday to discuss reopening the American embassy.

A State Department official told AFP on Saturday they left again on Friday "as scheduled."

"The Trump Administration remains in close contact with interim authorities" in Venezuela, the official added.

The Venezuelan government did not reply when asked by AFP whether the US officials had met with Rodriguez.

She has pledged to cooperate with Trump over his demands for access to Venezuela's huge oil reserves.

But she also moved to placate the powerful pro-Maduro base by insisting Venezuela is not "subordinate" to Washington.

Oil talks

Following Maduro's abduction, Trump vowed to secure access for US companies to Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

Chevron is currently the only US firm licensed to operate in Venezuela, through a sanctions exemption.

The White House said Saturday Trump had signed an emergency executive order protecting US-held revenues derived from sales of Venezuelan oil, to prevent them from being seized by courts or creditors.

At a White House meeting on Friday, he pressed top oil executives to invest in Venezuela's reserves, but was met with a cautious reception.

ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods dismissed the country as "uninvestable" without sweeping reforms.

Experts say Venezuela's oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions.