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Bridge Stays Open as Colombia Displays Armor at Venezuela Border

Reporters observed scant inspections despite armored vehicles at the Simón Bolívar crossing.

Overview

  • Venezuelans continue crossing the Simón Bolívar bridge into Colombia to buy food, medicines and basic goods that are cheaper or more available there.
  • Colombia positioned three armored vehicles at the Cúcuta crossing, and Clarín reports a wider deployment of 30,000 security personnel along the frontier.
  • Despite the visible hardware, on-the-ground reporting describes no systematic checks of vehicles or cargo and uninterrupted pedestrian and commercial flow.
  • Relatives of detainees gathered on the Colombian side to demand information about loved ones held in Venezuelan facilities such as El Rodeo.
  • Venezuelan authorities restricted international media access, with reporting that 14 foreign journalists were briefly detained and later released following reports of a U.S. action involving Nicolás Maduro.