Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday February 17 promised to “
respond with force
” to the creation by neighboring Colombia of a commando group to fight against dissident guerrillas and drug traffickers who, according to Bogota, find refuge in his country.
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At a press conference in Caracas, Nicolas Maduro said he ordered the country's armed forces "
to respond forcefully to the reckless statements of Colombian President Ivan Duque on Venezuela
" and "to
clean the barrels of our rifles (.. .) if Ivan Duque dares to violate the sovereignty of Venezuela
”.
On February 8, the right-wing Colombian president announced the creation of an elite force to fight the dissident guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and those of the National Liberation Army (ELN), as well as narco-traffickers who the government says have found refuge in neighboring Venezuela.
"
The goal for this year is to hit the heads of narcoterrorism,
" he said, saying "
many of them are protected in Venezuela
."
"
If Ivan Duque dares to touch a millimeter of Venezuelan territory ... Don't be crazy, Ivan Duque!
Know your limits and respect Venezuela,
”declared Nicolas Maduro, whose authoritarian government is not recognized by Colombia, which has severed its diplomatic ties.
Despite the 2016 peace agreement, Colombia continues to face a multi-faceted armed conflict, involving leftist guerrillas, drug traffickers and right-wing paramilitaries vying for control of lucrative cocaine production and illegal extraction of minerals.
Colombia has repeatedly accused Venezuela of offering refuge to armed groups, which Caracas denies.