“What’s bothering us here is the rising dollar”: How Venezuelans are testing the possibility of a US attack.

Alejandro, who has been selling vegetables in this market for five years, downplays the importance of the discourse between Washington and Caracas.

“Look, look how empty it is,” he said insistently, pointing his finger down a long, lonely aisle filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.

The common enemy of attendees appears to be the sudden rise in food prices and the limited ability to purchase them.

For example, the price of a kilo of chicken is about four times the value of the official monthly minimum wage. Although the government compensates pensioners and public sector workers with bonuses, the funds are still insufficient for the basic food basket.

But another reality is that since the anti-government protests that erupted after the disputed 2024 presidential elections, a large part of Venezuelan society has been avoiding expressing its opinion publicly on issues that might be sensitive for Maduro’s government.

During and after the protests, more than 2,000 people were arrested, according to official figures.

Currently, 884 people remain in prison for political reasons, according to the NGO Foro Penal.

There were reports of people being arrested after making statements to the press complaining about the government or questioning the election results.

UN experts have uncovered allegations of serious human rights violations in the context of those elections and the protests that occurred in the days that followed.

They reported being subjected to political persecution, excessive use of force, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial executions by state security forces and related civilian groups.

Regarding possible US action in the country, Consuelo, 74, expressed doubts and doubts.

“Whatever happens! (…) And that’s it!” says BBC Mundo.

“Could this be true? Could it be a lie? (…) What it does is it makes you sick, stressed (…) It is better to remain calm. Emotions can also affect your health,” says this retired but still working university professor.

“I don’t make nervous purchases. To buy you have to have a lot of money.”

“We are all waiting for something to happen, because it is just and necessary,” says Barbara Marrero, a 40-year-old pastry chef. “These are years of utter misery.”

“Venezuelans live every day waiting for something to happen, but everyone is afraid (to speak) and no one says anything.”

A trader living in Ciudad Bolivar (the southern state of Bolivar) told BBC Mundo by phone: “We are afraid, silent, for fear that they will put us in prison. I always post things, but not anymore. I shouldn’t, because I don’t know who will sell to me.”

The unknown woman says: “There is hope, faith, but people are silent out of fear. You don’t hear anyone talking about it. You are at home, with your family (…) but there is an atmosphere of joy.”

Everything is business as usual on a busy street in eastern Caracas. Street vendors stimulate sales… passersby back and forth…

There’s Javier Jaramillo, 57, looking for merchandise to resell at Christmas. He looks forward to the aircraft carrier that took Washington to the Caribbean.

He added, “I do not think that this attack will come. I think that what could be is a dialogue, agreement, or arrangement.”

However, he says that when there is a power outage, he believes “they’re already in, and they’re going to get in.”

In any case, Javier repeats: “We are more concerned about the food (…), I do not think there will be an attack.”

“Venezuela is very bad (…) Inflation is eating us up, there is no money here that is worth it: the dollar and the euro.”

“I am a Venezuelan in need (…). What we want is for there to be an arrangement.”

“Everyone flies, a thousand eyes. No one sleeps!” Nicolas Maduro asked residents Thursday evening.

The president continued: “We must defend the CIA’s oil facilities. They gave them a ticket and told them to go and harm the Venezuelan economy.”

Maduro constantly congratulates himself on his management of the Venezuelan economy, ensuring that it remains under the siege of the United States, between sanctions and military deployment in the Caribbean.

Two economists living in Venezuela, who were consulted by the BBC for this report, chose not to testify on the issue for fear of government retaliation.

“This inflation has reached levels of around 20% per month or month over the past few months,” said another expert who requested to remain anonymous.

The International Monetary Fund expects the increase in prices to reach 548% this year, and says it will be worse in 2026, when it could reach 629%. This is the highest number on the continent.

For his part, Maduro confirmed that the country’s gross domestic product will grow by 9%.

Esther Guevara (53 years old), who works in a medical laboratory, is among those who do not hide their concern amid the tensions over the deployment of the US naval fleet.

“I’m worried because I don’t really know what’s going on, that they’re really going to invade, extract… People think it’s too easy, too quiet and too powerful, and a lot of innocent people could die.”

“I feel like there’s something brewing there, but I’m waiting,” he says.

“Trump has to come to his senses,” Francisco Ojeda, 69, a Petare resident who is part of the militia, told BBC Mundo.

Ojeda participated in the military conscription ordered by Maduro and carried military weapons, although they did not contain bullets.

“No one here will remain quiet when it comes to the invasion,” he says.

“If they arrive, they will arrive, and if they don’t, fine. But here we want calm and harmony for everyone.”

“We are calm (…), here everyone dances, goes to the beach, works, everything is normal.”

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