Bangladesh, Dec. 21 -- Along Venezuelas Caribbean coast, where turquoise waters lap against crumbling piers and brightly painted boats bob in the shallows, life has long been hard. In towns like Güiria, once sustained by fishing and maritime trade, poverty and neglect have hollowed out communities. Now, residents say they are trapped between two powerful forces beyond their control: an aggressive US military campaign at sea and a tightening grip by Nicolás Maduros embattled government on land.

For Nadia, a resident of Güiria, that squeeze has become deeply personal. Her husband disappeared in early September, around the same time the United States launched a wave of military strikes targeting alleged drug trafficking vesse...