President Petro deploys forces at the border in anticipation of a possible influx of refugees.
On Saturday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced a reinforcement of security on the border with Venezuela to address a potential massive arrival of refugees from that country following the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, which took place amid U.S. airstrikes on Caracas and other cities.
“Public forces are being deployed on the border, as is all the aid capacity we have available in case of a mass entry of refugees,” Petro stated in a message on his X account, adding that he had been monitoring events in Venezuela.
The two countries share a 2,219-kilometer (1,379-mile) land border stretching from the Caribbean to the Amazon. The main border crossings are between the Colombian city of Cucuta and San Antonio del Tachira and Ureña in Venezuela’s Tachira state. At the opening of the Cucuta border crossings today, the situation was one of total normality.
So far, Petro has not commented on U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that Maduro and his wife were “captured,” but he has condemned the airstrikes against Venezuelan localities.
The White House is confirming U.S. military operations in Venezuela tonight. Let us be clear: these strikes are illegal. The President does not have the authority to declare war or undertake large-scale military operations without Congress. Congress must act to rein him in.… pic.twitter.com/KsbxS6TbSp
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) January 3, 2026
“The government of Colombia rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America. Internal conflicts among peoples are resolved by the peoples themselves in peace,” the Colombian leader affirmed.
Petro reiterated that Colombia, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), will seek to have that body make a statement on the Venezuela situation.
“I invite the Venezuelan people to find the paths of civil dialogue and their unity. Without sovereignty, there is no nation. Peace is the path, and dialogue among peoples is fundamental for national union. Dialogue and more dialogue is our proposal,” he added.
Earlier, Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a plan to prevent potential attacks by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group in the border area with Venezuela, taking advantage of the U.S. attacks.
“All public forces capabilities were alerted and activated to anticipate and neutralize any attempt at a terrorist attack by the ELN cartel or other organized illegal armed groups that operate on the border,” he Sanchez said.
Previously, the ELN criticized the “interventionist actions” of the United States in Venezuela, following Washington’s military deployment in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Pacific under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
The Venezuelan people are mobilizing in rejection of U.S. aggression and in support of President Nicolas Maduro. pic.twitter.com/uNOcMFlv3U
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) January 3, 2026
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Source: EFE
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