Medellín, Colombia – The Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday printed a declaration saying it regretted latest violence within the Catatumbo area of Colombia simply days after Bogotá introduced bombing in cooperation with Caracas.
The assertion muddies the waters about whether or not or not Venezuela was concerned within the army operations in opposition to the Nationwide Liberation Military (ELN) rebels close to the 2 nations’ joint border, which allegedly killed 7 guerrilla fighters.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expresses its profound concern and regrets the escalation of violence within the border area of Catatumbo,” learn a press release shared on X by Overseas Minister Yvan Gil.
The declaration got here after Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on Monday that he had ordered the bombing in cooperation with Venezuela.
“I gave the order to bomb the ELN camp in accordance with the settlement reached with the Bolivarian authorities of Venezuela,” wrote Petro on X.
Petro appeared to allude to an agreement with Caracas to cooperate on tackling cross-border crime following his go to to Venezuela in April.
However Caracas appeared to clean its arms of the latest bombing operation; whereas it didn’t instantly acknowledge the bombing or Petro’s assertion, its declaration stated that it “rejects any armed motion that compromises the peace, stability, and safety of border communities.”
It added that the one strategy to protect peace and stability within the area is thru “mechanisms of understanding and mutual respect, avoiding actions that may irritate tensions or generate better dangers for border populations, who for many years have confronted the results of a battle out of their management.”
Since final yr, Catatumbo has been the location of what has been described as “probably the most critical humanitarian disaster of latest instances” in Colombia. In January 2025, a household of three, together with a nine-month-old child, was killed, marking the collapse of fragile peace pacts between the ELN and the Frente 33 – a dissident faction of the demobilized FARC rebels – and triggering a humanitarian disaster on a scale not seen within the nation for over a decade.
The Red Cross stated that 2025 was probably the most sophisticated years for humanitarian circumstances in Colombia: greater than 235,000 folks have been individually displaced, over 176,000 folks have been unable to maneuver freely due to armed battle, and there has additionally been a pointy enhance in instances of mass displacements.
Venezuela’s assertion highlights the cross-border nature of the battle, noting that the nation “has traditionally suffered the results of Colombian inner battle.” Colombian armed teams just like the ELN and dissident FARC factions have historically had a major presence in Venezuela and have been recognized to have ties to the Nicolás Maduro regime.
However each the interim authorities underneath Delcy Rodríguez and Petro have been underneath stress from the White Home to confront guerrilla teams.
This text initially appeared on The Bogotá Post and was re-published with permission.
Featured picture description: Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodríguez at a gathering in Caracas on April 24, 2026.
Picture courtesy of: Colombian President’s Workplace.
