US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Washington plans to do more to support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. Guaido, who was defying a travel plan to speak in Colombia, plans to travel on to Europe.
"I would fully expect there will be further action that the United States would take to continue to support President Guaido and the Venezuelan people," said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at an anti-terrorism conference in Bogota on Monday. "We do not talk about particular sanctions but everyone can fully expect that the United States is not done."
Pompeo described Venezuela as a "failed state." Under Maduro's leadership, the South American country has suffered an economic collapse and hyperinflation since the start of 2016.
More than 4 million Venezuelans have fled the country, many to Colombia, a choice which Pompeo blamed on the policies of Maduro's "terror regime." He added that Maduro was now "working alongside terror organizations inside of his own country."
Pompeo appeared at a regional conference along with Guaido, who had arrived in Colombia on Sunday to meet with President Ivan Duque despite a court-imposed travel ban. He has only traveled outside Venezuela one other time in the last year, sneaking across the border into Colombia to oversee a failed bid to bring in humanitarian aid in February 2019.
"We are honored by your presence,'' Duque told Guaido. "You will always have a friend in Colombia."
Maduro was reelected in 2018 in a vote boycotted by many opposition parties, citing perceived irregularities in what commentators described as a "show election."
Venezuelans find refuge, solidarity in Colombia
Colombia's Maicao is infamous for its drug and people smuggling, violence and sexual exploitation. Venezuelan refugees living on the streets are an easy target. But a UNHCR-run reception center is offering a way out.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Waiting in line
Venezuelan migrants wait in line to have their registration number and details checked before receiving their lunch. The UN's World Food Program serves food three times a day.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Hanging out to dry
Rows of tents provided by the UNCHR for the refugees line the reception center in Maicao, providing as much comfort as is possible in these circumstances.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Looking for a way out
The recently inaugurated reception center in Maicao in the La Guajira region — a collaboration between the UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency and the Colombian authorities — is the first of its kind in Colombia. Local and national government agencies called on the UNHCR for aid because of the steady influx of Venezuelan migrants and refugees crossing the border into Maicao.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Lack of purpose
Domingo Antonio Fernandez Lopez, a 72-year-old former journalist and professor, used to hear about and see refugees in the news, but never thought he would end up in a shelter as well. Having worked most of his life, he now feels useless. Every morning he gets up, waits to have breakfast, and waters the area near the entrance of his tent because the dust is affecting his lungs and eyes.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Hoping for a better life
Rusmari Luna Pereira brought a bracelet with her from Venezuela her mother made for her for the trip. She had to leave with her children because she couldn’t provide for them anymore. She said some people in Venezuela give their children to other families, others abandoned them on the streets. She said she found those stories hard to believe but now understands how desperate some of them are.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Dreaming of home
Rosmery Castillo left Venezuela a month ago with two of her children and left a third with her brother. She was a nurse in Valencia but her minimum wage was wiped out by high inflation, leaving her with almost nothing to buy food. She plans to return to Venezuela as soon as the situation improves to be with her mother and grandmother, who she had to leave behind.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Sharing the will to survive
Rosmery Castillo (34, left) and Vanesa Añez Añez (19) did not know each other when they both arrived at the UNHCR reception center at the same time. They were placed in a tent to share.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
A helping hand
A Colombian Red Cross clinic at the reception center caters to health issues the migrants and refugees may suffer from such as lung problems caused by the dust from the La Guajira Desert.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Solidarity and understanding
Xenophobia is always hovering in the background, but La Guajira has a historical connection with Maracaibo in Venezuela. Many people from La Guajira moved to Venezuela during the Colombian FARC conflict. There is solidarity among people of both sides. There are also many IDPs in Colombia, who understand what it is like for the Venezuelans to be in this predicament.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Taking the legal route
The official crossing between Colombia and Venezuela is marked by a few fences and soldiers standing guard. There is one official way to cross between Colombia and Venezuela, but some 150 illegal shortcuts, many of which end right in front of the official crossing.
