Venezuela and Colombia advance plan to eradicate criminal gangs on their common border

Published at: 23/01/2025 01:31 PM

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, announced this Thursday that he is in talks with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, to establish a joint plan aimed at combating Colombian armed gangs that operate on the border between the two countries.

During his visit to Haiti, Petro indicated that Colombian Defense Minister, Iván Velásquez, will meet with his Venezuelan counterpart, Vladimir Padrino López, to define actions, which will include the closure of illegal crossings, especially on the Catatumbo River, with air operations coordinated by the two governments.

“The truly disconnected left the peace shattered and handed over the border to armed mafias,” said the president of New Granada in response to an article on W Radio, in which they question his trip to the Caribbean nation.

He said that in the refugee camps on the Venezuelan side there are about 1,580 Colombian compatriots who remain in shelter, after being displaced by violence in their country. “We are building a plan that seeks to close all space of action to drug owners on the border,” he emphasized.

Faced with clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the 33rd Front of the Dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in which eight peace signatories, dozens of kidnappings and hundreds of displaced families have been killed, the Government of Venezuela established humanitarian corridors with four points of comprehensive care for those seeking refuge.

Mazo News Team