Five members of the Venezuelan military were arrested on Sunday morning after illegally crossing into Colombia.
The armed troops allegedly crossed into La Parada in North East Colombia by mistake, and were attempting to return to Venezuela when they were stopped and arrested by Colombian police.
Local police had been notified by concerned locals, who witnessed the truck containing armed Venezuelan troops crossing the border via the Simon Bolivar International bridge.
Representatives from Colombia migration authorities said the five Venezuelans “entered Colombian territory without realizing that had crossed the border, at a time when conducting an inspection in the town of Ureña in Venezuela.”
The troops were escorted to migration authorities in Cucuta. Police and government authorities were met by Venezuelan representatives to discuss the issue, and to negotiate the troop’s release.
Venezuelan authorities released a statement saying that “thanks to the timely intervention of the Colombian law enforcement a problem was avoided and delivery shall be done peacefully and in coordination with the Venezuelan authorities.”
The motive for the illegal trespass into Colombian territory is not known, and authorities announced that they had begun an investigation.
The foreign ministers of Colombia and Venezuela are set to meet this week to address the issue.
Sources
- Colombia entrego a Venezuela uniformados capturados en la frontera (Radio Santa Fe)