By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:His Excellency Lieutenant General Ian Khama, the former Botswana President, has labelled abducted Nicolas Maduro as an illegitimate President while criticizing the United States (US) for violating the principles of territorial integrity and international law by invading Venezuela.

Speaking to this Swaziland News during an exclusive interview on Thursday, the former Head of State said, “Maduro was like Tanzanian President who rigged elections to cling on to power,” and therefore, his Presidency was illegitimate and/or against the will of the people of Venezuela.

“First of all Maduro was an illegitimate President. Just like the Tanzania President and all those leaders who rigg elections to stay in power. However that does not justify the illegal action by the Americans to kidnap him and his wife or any citizen of Venezuela in the manner they did which violated the territorial integrity of that country and international law,” said the former President.

The former Head of State said, the United States bombed and killed innocent people in the process, just to kidnap Nicolas Maduro and his wife, he then labelled the US military operation as a crime against humanity.

Former President Lieutenant General Khama urged Americans to hold the Donald Trump administration accountable and demand to know the costs of kidnapping only two (2) people.

“Americans too should ask their racist administration about the cost to kidnap only two people. Trump boasted that they had used 152 aircraft. Just imagine how much went into the preparation and execution and cost just to get two people. Typical on how they do things by always massively throwing everything at the smallest thing  because they are unable to master doing things with minimum application,” he said.

On another note, the former Botswana President who doubles as an ex-military officer, dismissed President Donald Trump’s sentiments suggesting that, “no country in the world could have done or achieved what the US achieved” when capturing Nicolas Maduro.

“I can tell you as a former military officer that their claim that no other military in the world could have carried out such an operation is false. Yes it’s true no other military would have unnecessarily used so many assets, but the same result could have been achieved by several countries special forces using far less resources and who would not go on to boast about it at press conferences in such an unprofessional manner,” said the former Botswana President.