Clouds form over pumpjacks and power transmission towers on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
CABIMAS, Venezuela (AP) — Broken oil infrastructure peeks out of Lake Maracaibo, where fishermen work and families endure blackouts. A new deal gives the U.S. control of a fifth of the country’s oil reserves and promises billions, but is seen by many Venezuelans as a surrender.
A boy sits on an inactive oil pumpjack in Cabimas, Venezuela, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)Jackson Silva, left, and Jose Lopez pull in their fishing net near oil installations on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana CubillosClarimar Aguiar, center, cuts her daughter’s birthday cake during a power outage in Cabimas, Venezuela, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)A fallen power transmission tower rests on an inactive oil pumpjack on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)A fisherman shows oil residue on his gloves on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)Fishermen cast their lines from a boat on Lake Maracaibo in the oil-producing region of Cabimas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana CubillosPeople play dominoes under the light of a cell phone flashlight, near a gas flare during a power outage in Cabimas, Venezuela, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)A damaged oil storage tank stands tilted on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)A woman sells smoothies during a power outage in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
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