MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Petro and Maduro discuss cooperation in tackling drug trafficking

It was the first contact between both leftwing leaders after Maduro's questionable Jan. 10 inauguration following the controversial July 28, 2024, election results

Colombian President Gustavo Petro discussed with Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro the possibility of tackling drug trafficking together on the border between the two countries, particularly “in the Catatumbo River” where a joint action plan is under development given the security crisis stemming from activities by the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.

“I spoke with the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, to actively patrol the illegal crossings on the border between both countries, particularly near the Catatumbo River,” Petro explained on social media.

Colombia's Ombudsman's Office said Thursday that over 36,000 people had been forcibly displaced due to the hostilities and at least 60 were killed. The Governor's Office in the Norte de Santander department mentioned 80 murders while the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences has already identified 41 bodies, including six signatories of the 2016 peace agreements with the FARC.

In this scenario, Petro also announced on X a meeting between the Defense Ministers of both countries (Colombia's Iván Velásquez and Venezuela's Vladimir Padrino López) to coordinate efforts. It was Petro's first contact with Maduro after the Chavista leader's questionable Jan. 10 inauguration following the seemingly fraudulent July 28, 2024, election results.

“True disconnected people let shred the peace and shred the connection of the peoples and left the border in the hands of armed mafias. I have dialogued with the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, to block the illegal crossings, especially in the Catatumbo River, and to take action with flights on both sides, we have the presence of 1,580 nationals in refugee camps on the other side,” Petro said.

He also reviewed his recent trip to violence-torn Haiti. He praised the Caribbean people's historical involvement in the creation of the first tricolor flags in the region and highlighted the figure of the Haitian black woman as one of the main inspirers of the struggle for “today's free Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador.” Petro also announced that Colombia would support training Haitian Police officers.