Venezuela launches military exercises, warns Colombia
September 11, 2019
Venezuelan President Maduro has accused Colombia of plotting his overthrow, while Bogota said Venezuela harbors and backs rogue rebel fighters. The US offered Colombia its "full support" against any attempted aggression.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/R. U. Rojas
Advertisement
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro deployed 150,000 troops to his country's border with Colombia as tensions continue to rise between the two countries.
"The moment has come to defend our sovereignty and national peace by deploying our defense resources in full force," Maduro said on Twitter.
Aside from personnel, Maduro's government deployed tanks and missile carriers to its western Tachira state, an area that has become the departure point for millions of Venezuelans migrating to the south. There are currently more than 1 million Venezuelans living in Colombia.
"This is an operation to defend our national territory," Remigio Ceballos, strategic commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, said. He added that Venezuela's army was ready to respond to attacks from Colombia, the United States or any other threat.
The deployment is the latest in a string of military warnings Venezuela has leveled at Colombia, as relations between the two countries have steadily deteriorated.
Bogota has accused Venezuela of harboring Colombian armed rebels, estimating that as many as 1,000 National Liberation Army (ELN) operatives, some 40% of that rebel group's fighting force, are in Venezuela.
From there, the rebels have planned terrorist attacks, such as the car bombing at a Bogota police academy in January that killed more than 20 mostly young cadets, Colombia said.
In turn, Maduro has accused Colombia's conservative president, Ivan Duque, of harboring training camps for groups that plot violent attacks against the Venezuelan government.
Colombian Vice-President Marta Lucia Ramirez said cooler heads should prevail: "We call on all Colombians for calm, knowing that we possess a sufficiently equipped and capable public force.
"We must not react to this threat, because it would be foolish to think it could be real," she said of Maduro's troop deployment.
US backs Colombia
US officials responded to Maduro's move on Tuesday by expressing unwavering support for Colombia.
Carlos Trujillo, US ambassador to the Organization of American States, said it was "totally unacceptable" that Maduro's "illegitimate government" was threatening the region's security and peace.
"Colombia's allies will do everything possible to help one of the best allies we've had, not only in the Americas but in the world," Trujillo told reporters.
The US special envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, went further.
"If there are cross-border attacks from Venezuela to Colombia, we can expect Colombians to react," Abrams said. "And obviously, we would fully support Colombia in that situation."
Venezuela has come under mounting pressure from the US and Colombia, who are among more than 50 nations that have declared Maduro illegitimate and backed opposition leader Juan Guaido's push to oust the socialist president.
But Maduro has managed to maintain the army's support, despite several defections, and he is still supported by major international powers such as China, Russia and traditional ally Cuba.
jcg/sms (AP, AFP)
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.
