"The Venezuelan government on Friday launched the second phase of voluntary enlistment in the Bolivarian Militia, with more than 1,000 registration points set up in squares across the country. Footage captured on Friday shows men and women of all ages registering at a point in the 23 de Enero neighbourhood of Caracas, part of the Great National Plan of Sovereignty and Peace of Simon Bolívar, promoted by the government amid heightened tensions over the deployment of US naval forces in the Caribbean. "You hear voices. You hear people saying Trump is crazy, that Trump is bipolar, no, that guy has his thoughts very well ordered and organised. He knows that Venezuela has resources they lack," said Jhonny Rondon, a Venezuelan citizen who enlisted. "So he goes around inventing things to threaten the people, to intimidate them, but here is the common people, organising to enlist and defend the homeland," he added. The mobilisation drive comes against a backdrop of growing tension with Washington and is intended to reinforce the government’s message of sovereignty and resistance to foreign intervention. "I am tired of a certain country that claims to be developed threatening us. The problems we Venezuelans have, we solve ourselves. To the Americans, we have to tell them what we told them in the 70s: 'gringo go home'," said Carmen, an elderly citizen who joined the registration. Venezuela’s Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, said on Friday, after touring the country’s coastline, that the objective was national defence to safeguard peace and ensure the proper development of the economy. This latest call is part of a wider plan to mobilise 4.5 million militiamen to strengthen Venezuela’s defences against US interference and perceived threats."