Colombia and Venezuela deploy 25,000 troops to combat organized in the border region

The governments of Colombia and Venezuela announced have deployed 25,000 troops to combat drug trafficking in the border region.

The Venezuelan government announced on Monday that it will send 15,000 soldiers to the border with Colombia as part of operation “Catatumbo Blitz”.

This deployment is already underway with a special effort involving troops, aviation, and drones… to safeguard our borders, ensure security, fight drug gangs, and protect the sovereignty of the homeland alongside the people.

Diosdado Cabello

Colombian President Gustavo Petro stressed that the militarization is part of bilateral operations that have been ongoing since January, when the Colombian military increased its forces in the Catatumbo region to 10,000 troops, to “achieve the maximum reduction of the mafia’s forces.”

The Venezuelan troops will be sent to Zulia and Tachira, two states on the Venezuelan side of the border.

Jointly and with the Venezuelan reinforcements, “we have 25,000 soldiers in the area,” said Petro on Thursday.

The military operations are part of a bilateral strategy to combat organized crime and stimulate the legal economy in the border region, which has historically suffered from state neglect and violence caused by illegal armed groups.

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The governments of Petro and his counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, have agreed to the joint strategy in response to an ELN offensive that resulted in over 50,000 displaced persons and at least 80 deaths in January.

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Petro has long advocated for regional integration, particularly in all of Colombia’s border regions, where State neglect allowed the emergence of economies that are driven by contraband and drug trafficking.

According to the current administration, guerrilla and organized crime groups took advantage of the poverty and lack of international cooperation to boost illegal economic activity in both Venezuela and Colombia.