The border between Colombia e Venezuela remains calm despite the recent news about the capture of Nicolás Maduro. The reporter from CNN Luciana Taddeo is in Cúcuta, a Colombian city that borders San Antonio de Táchira, in Venezuela, and reports that the situation in the region remains normal.
On the Simón Bolívar bridge, one of the main connection points between the two countries, it is possible to observe the presence of members of the Colombian National Army positioned with tanks. According to the reporter, the Colombian government announced measures, including health issues, in case there is an increase in the flow of Venezuelan migrants trying to leave the country.
Taxi drivers traveling between the two countries told the reporter that Venezuelan streets were in chaos. “absolute silence” the day before, with people afraid to take to the streets. “What they tell me is that these people’s fear of celebrating is precisely fear of “, explains Taddeo, referring to both the Bolivarian National Guard and the armed groups that defend the regime.
Border restrictions and seizure
A driver who made eight trips between Colombia and Venezuela the previous day reported that he was warned by a member of Venezuelan migration not to take foreigners into the country. This, especially journalists, has been a characteristic of the Chavista regime in recent years.
“You need to get a visa to enter Venezuela and it is very difficult to do so, with the regime completely closing itself off to the work of the international press”, says the reporter. The border region is full of foreign journalists discussing how to enter Venezuela legally and authorized by the regime.
Despite the apprehension, movement at the border remains normal. There is not a large flow of people entering or leaving, but there is an expectation about possible changes in the situation. The Simón Bolívar bridge, widely used by Venezuelans who need to access Cúcuta international airport due to the deterioration of the Venezuelan air network since 2013, continues to operate normally.
