VENEZUELA
Opening the Floodgates
Venezuela reopened its border with Colombia over the weekend after a hiatus of four months, resulting in long lines at checkpoints as thousands of people queued up to cross over to buy food and medicines.
President Nicolas Maduro had ordered the border closed in February to thwart the delivery of US aid he characterized as an infringement on his country’s sovereignty. The US is backing opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself the rightful president due to questions about the legitimacy of Maduro’s recent re-election.
Even before the US aid mission, thousands of Venezuelans regularly crossed the border to buy food and medicines that are not available at home due to the collapse of the Venezuelan economy, Al Jazeera reported. And after the closure of the border, many continued to cross it illegally, though that put them at the mercy of criminal gangs.
But the relief for desperate Venezuelans is a worry for Bogota, which fears huge numbers may seek to join the million-plus Venezuelan refugees and migrants who already live in Colombia.
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