Caracas/ BOGOTA: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro indefinitely closed his country’s border with Colombia and declared a state of emergency in part of the frontier region, following an earlier attack that wounded four people.
Tensions run high along the 2,200km porous border, rife with guerrilla and smuggling activity, and the two countries almost went to war in 2008.
Two men on motorcycles attacked soldiers involved in anti-smuggling operations along the northwestern border with Colombia on Wednesday, according to Maduro. Regional officials said three soldiers and a civilian were wounded in the attack that took place in Tachira state. One soldier was seriously hurt.
“As part of measures to restore order, peace, tranquility and justice ... I have decided to declare a state of emergency” in several municipalities of eastern Tachira state, Maduro said in a broadcast address.
He did not explain the scope of the action, saying only that it “broadly empowers civil, military and police authorities to restore order, peace, coexistence of the Venezuelan border region with Colombia.”
Maduro said the state of emergency, called a state of exception in Spanish, would help boost the fight against paramilitary groups and smuggling in the border area.
“Let’s have a deep reorganisation of the economic, political, social, cultural” order at the border, the president said.
Maduro had initially ordered a 72-hour closure of the border, and it had been due to end at 5:00 am (0930 GMT) today.
Without making direct reference to Maduro’s recent statements, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said that Venezuelan citizens “are always welcome,” noting that there are many Colombians in the neighbouring country.
Santos said that closure of two border crossings hurts innocent people, adding that he hoped to speak to his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro to find a solution.
“We’re willing to pursue the criminals to find those responsible for the attack,” Santos told journalists on the sidelines of meetings with regional officials.
“I’ll see if I can speak to President Maduro, to see if we can solve this situation as quickly as possible because innocent people are the ones suffering.”
AFP/Reuters
