Venezuela has partially closed its border with Colombia, just hours before international humanitarian aid was set to arrive — aid that President Nicolás Maduro refuses to accept. The move marks another dramatic escalation in the country’s political and humanitarian standoff.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Twitter that three major border crossings in the state of Táchira would be temporarily shut down, citing what she called “serious and illegal threats” from the Colombian government.
But the timing leaves little doubt: supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaidó were preparing to transport tons of U.S.-supplied food and medicine into Venezuela through Colombia.
Maduro, who also closed the border with Brazil earlier this week, insists Venezuela faces no humanitarian crisis, despite millions of citizens having fled economic collapse. He claims the aid effort is nothing more than a foreign-backed plot to overthrow him.
Meanwhile, the United States and several allied nations argue that the aid is urgently needed — and that Maduro is putting political survival ahead of human lives.
As tensions rise at the border, Venezuela’s deepening crisis continues to push the nation toward a breaking point.